Broken Hearts Still Beat
by Jadams9804
Summary: Complete! While visiting the planet Sandgel, the Doctor witnesses a man's death, apparently caused by a hooded being. Before leaving the planet, he meets a woman that he suspects is responsible. Please leave a review! 10th Doctor/OC
1. Sandgel

Broken Hearts Still Beat

_I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires._ _Kahlil Gibran_

**Chapter 1: Sandgel**

The Tardis touched down with a barely discernable bump as the Doctor sighed with relief. The ship sometimes had a will of her own, bringing him to a destination that wasn't exactly the one he had in mind. Tonight was one of those times when the controls refused to respond to his touch and the dials spun without regard to his direction.

Now that the argument was won, in the usual favor of the Tardis, his good humor returned immediately as he consulted the charts and realized that he was on the planet Sandgel, which was on his list of "one day I have got to visit" planets. Sandgel had a desert like climate, with water close enough to the surface to be mined and allow the planet to be not only habitable, but in some areas quite lush. The people of Sandgel were said to be gentle and peaceful, with almost idyllic lives that centered around the trade that they had mastered, which was creating beautiful tile that was made from the sand of the planet. The Sandgels were close knit, putting family above all else, and enjoyed the numerous celebrations that were scheduled around the seasons of the planet. Travelers and merchants from other planets visited Sandgel to trade and purchase the tile in the rich colors that were a trade secret among the people.

Opening the doors to the Tardis with a snap of his fingers, the Doctor strode out into the night air, looking about with his infamous curiosity at the scene in front of him. The Tardis, in her infinite wisdom, landed in a courtyard surrounded on three sides by brick walls with terraces and doorways overlooking the courtyard. The tiles under his feet, even in the darkness of the night, shined with colors made into a pattern of a starburst. The smoothness of the tile refracted the coolness of the night air, making the area very pleasant and inviting to the traveler.

The stillness around him told the Doctor that the planet was sleepy. There was no noise except the gentle rustling of desert breezes through the courtyard. Looking up to the sky, he saw an incredible sight. There were two moons visible, both close enough to make out the mountain ranges and geographical distinctions. The soft light coming from the closest one was tinted with a golden glow, and the far moon with a pulsing blue. The sight made him pause, just gazing as a peace came over him that had his muscles relaxing, his breathing slowed, and a sense of well being come over him that he had not felt in a very long while.

Also apparent in the sky was the bright glow on the horizon, heralding a new day that would soon arrive. Spotting a bench under one of the terraces, the Doctor sat absorbing the moment, in no hurry to end it. And the Doctor rested.

The sounds of water running brought the Doctor out of his reverie. Light had not yet reached the courtyard, but sunbeams could be seen dancing on the street in front of him. As the sun climbed and became stronger, the night breezes of the desert calmed and the air grew still. The glow of the moons gave way to the laser brightness of the sun. A new day had come to Sandgel. The running water stopped, and movement above him could be heard with the opening of a window. The Doctor stood and stretched, feeling relaxed and pleased.

As he left the courtyard and turned onto the street, he saw what appeared to be a market area in front of him. In a matter of moments, the market started coming to life with residents coming out of their doors, stretching and yawning, picking up buckets and crates and heading towards their stalls. The market reminded him of others that he had seen all over the different galaxies, serving a multitude of purposes with both commerce and social tasks being tended to. The people of Sandgel dressed simply, with tunics and trousers in layers of different colors and patterns. Most had hoods on their tunics, although in the still mildly cool morning, the hoods were worn down on the back, to be put up later as protection against the glare of the sun.

A young girl turned the corner with a stack of boxes carried in her arms. As she stepped into the street, she gave a slight stumble, and the stack started precariously tilting. The Doctor's reflexes kicked in, and he dashed forward, putting a steadying hand on her elbow and took the top couple of boxes off the pile.

"There you go!" He cheerfully said.

"Thank you, sir" she said in a high squeaky voice. "That would have caused a mess!"

"And which way are you heading? I'll carry these for you"

Her face broke into a huge grin at that. "I'm just over here, with my dad – that's him, the biggest man in the market! Dad!" She called.

The large man looked up, his face answering in an identical grin. "Sissy, what's this? Visitors come to buy, not to work!" He held his head at a slight angle, looking the Doctor up and down. "You're too scrawny to work for me, you'd best put those boxes down over here before you drop them".

The Doctor put the boxes down where Sissy's father had indicated, then turned around, sticking out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Sissy's dad. I'm the Doctor."

"Sissy calls me dad, everyone else calls me Aviaz". His hand extended, and firmly grasped the Doctor's, pausing slightly when he looked into the Doctor's eyes. "You're from very far away."

"How could you tell?"

"Your clothes, your strangeness, but mostly your eyes. You have very old eyes for such a young person." His voice dropped a bit as he continued, "On Sandgel, we have a gift for telling friends from foes at first meet. We can also see the aura, and yours is old. But no matter, you're friend, and that's what's important."

"Aviaz, when does the market open?"

"Are you looking to buy some tile?"

"No, just wanted to look around some. This is my first visit to Sandgel, and I like to see the culture first hand."

"You've visited a lot of places then?"

"Oh, you have no idea", he said with his trademark grin. "Maybe Sissy can show me around, if you can do without her for a little while?"

"Since you helped her with the boxes, I suppose I can excuse her from a couple of chores" he said, smiling down at his daughter. "Just make sure that you bring me my tea before you forget all about your poor old father!"

Giggling behind her hand, Sissy nodded. "I'll bring it in a little bit, dad!" She grabbed the Doctor's hand, and he let himself be led away by the little girl.

She took him to the other end of the market, which was showing more signs of life. She stopped in front of a pen, which had what could only be described as chicken like birds scratching about in it. "These are my favorites!" She exclaimed. "They lay eggs that are all different colors, and the shells make the colors for the tile!" She reached through the pen, trying to pet one of the birds, but it darted away before she could make contact. She sighed and looked up at the Doctor, grinning. "They're still too fast for me. But when you touch them, they're soft and warm."

Sissy stood up, brushing the dirt from her knees. "Doctor, what do you want to see? Do you want me to show you my school?"

The Doctor squatted down, bringing himself eye level to her. "What kind of school do you go to?"

She giggled again before answering "Regular school! What other kinds are there? We learn our numbers, and our symbols, and how to make stories."

"How long have you been in school?"

"I went to school last year, then this year, and I have three more years. Then I get to work with my father making the tile."

"Sissy, how old are you?"

"I'm 96 moons. I'm big, huh?"

The Doctor laughed. "You're the biggest 96 moon old girl I've ever met!" He said.

"So do you want to see my school? No one is there, but I can show it to you."

"I would love to see your school, Sissy. Lead on!"

Once again, Sissy grabbed the Doctor's hand, and this time lead him past the pen with the birds and their colorful eggs, and in between a couple of houses, chatting nonstop about her school, her teacher (The best teacher in the whole of Sandgel) and her classmates. The Doctor noted to himself that children are still children, and that there was quite a bit of universal common ground between them. He figured that her 96 moons was the equivalent of eight earth years, and enjoyed his time with the vivacious giggly child.

After viewing the school, which was of plain design but extraordinarily beautiful with murals made out of the colorful tile on the outside walls, they headed back to the market. Sissy reminded the Doctor that she had to stop at home to pick up her father's tea, and the Doctor waited patiently outside the door for her to return. They walked down the road, the market now in full swing, and the sun climbed higher in the sky, causing the temperature to rise. Although not yet hot, the day was now warm enough to forget the night breezes that had first met him when he stepped off the Tardis. The Doctor escorted Sissy back to her father, and after declining to share his long awaited tea, the Doctor headed out on his own, roaming around the market and the town, enjoying the peaceful ambience and the pleasant day.

When the heat of the day peaked, the Doctor noticed that the people in the marketplace pulled their hoods up to cover their heads. Wishing that he had brought a hat himself, he decided to stroll back to the Tardis to get out of the hot sun for a bit. As he was approaching the stall that Aviaz and Sissy ran, he saw Aviaz standing in front of the stall, his hands on his hips, looking over the display that Sissy was rearranging.

"Doctor!" Sissy squealed, dropping the tile pieces and running over to him.

Aviaz turned, smiling, and froze, the smile fading and a confused look coming over his face. The Doctor stopped, his arms automatically reaching to catch Sissy as she launched herself at him, her arms wrapping around his legs. His eyes not leaving Aviaz's face, he reached around and unwrapped her arms, and took a step forward towards Aviaz, not understanding what was wrong.

As Aviaz stood there frozen, a wall of smoke suddenly appeared out of no where, blocking the sun and making it impossible to see even a short distance away. The Doctor heard a thud, and continued his step towards where Aviaz was standing. He moved slowly, carefully placing his feet on the unseen road, moving in the direction that he hoped was the correct one to reach Aviaz. He heard Sissy behind him take a sharp intake of breath, her confusion as evident as both Aviaz's and the Doctors. After a painful moment of walking in a blind state, he felt his feet touch something and squatted down to see if he could have better vision closer to the ground. What he saw made his blood turn cold.

Aviaz was down on the ground, and what the Doctor's foot had touched was the bottom part of his leg. The smoke was not as thick down here, and as he reached out to Aviaz, the Doctor saw something else in the haze – they were not alone. All sound was gone, there was a deadening quiet as if a bubble was around them. His eyes stared through the smoke, and a form appeared. It was human shaped, but had a hood covering the head, and its back was turned towards the Doctor. The being was kneeling at Aviaz's head, bending over him as if whispering in his ear. There was a hand on his chest, appearing to be holding Aviaz down. Aviaz himself was deathly still. The being looked up and turned the head slightly, so the hood was in profile. The head slowly moved back and forth a bit, as if saying "no". Then the hand left the chest, and after lifting a single finger to where the mouth should have been, in the universal hand gesture for silence, the being disappeared through the mist, leaving Aviaz on the ground with the Doctor.

The Doctor scrambled up to Aviaz's head, his hand reaching for his jugular, looking for a pulse. There was none. Aviaz's eyes were closed; the confused look replaced with a sleeping pose. Aviaz was gone! As the realization kicked in and the Doctor sat back on his heels, the smoke lifted as suddenly as it came. With it gone, the senses returned, the gasps and voices of the people in the marketplace returned, and Sissy's scream pierced through the last of his veil of disbelief.

"Dad!" She screamed. She ran over, throwing herself on the ground next to the Doctor, desperately grabbing onto Aviaz's tunic. "Dad! Wake up! Wake up!" Her voice became desperate as her father's lack of response began to panic her. "Dad! I'll get more tea! I'll get Mom!" Her face turned to the Doctor, tears already beginning to pool in her eyes. "Doctor, help him! I don't think he's breathing!"

The Doctor gently reached over to take Sissy's hand, but she snatched it away and pushed at him. "No! You have to help him! He's my father! Make him breathe again!"

Through his peripheral vision, the Doctor saw the people gather in a circle around them, some of the women in the arms of the men, all with a shocked, saddened look on their faces.

"He's gone, Sissy. I'm sorry, I'm so very, very sorry."

A louder scream pierced the marketplace, as a woman threw herself onto the ground next to Sissy. "Aviaz! Aviaz! Dear Lord, what happened? Aviaz!"

Sissy turned her attention to her mother. "He was standing here, then there was smoke, then he was down, Mother, what's happening? Why won't he wake up?"

The Doctor felt as if everything was happening in slow motion. What happened? Aviaz was a young man, glowing with health. What was in the smoke with them? What did it do to Aviaz? He felt as useless as the chickens in the pen down the street. All that he knew, and he was powerless to help Sissy and her mother.

Sissy's mother stood up slowly, reached down and picked Sissy up, holding her close. "Please, someone – help me. Bring him home for me. Please." The last word broke as Sissy turned her head into her mother's chest and began sobbing. Her mother looked down one more time, then turned, briefly pausing as she looked at the Doctor. There was a moment of confusion in her face, but it was quickly dismissed. There were more important things for her to do this day than wonder about the stranger in the marketplace.


	2. The Cottage

I don't own the Doctor, or the Tardis. I'm just borrowing them for some fun. There is no profit being made, and I promise to send them back when I'm done!

Chapter 2

The Doctor stood and watched as Sissy and her mother walked away, then stepped back as some of the men left the circle and approached Aviaz's body to pick it up. His mind tried to wrap itself around what had just happened. Aviaz was standing with Sissy, he turned around and just – died? That doesn't happen. Where did that smoke come from? And who – or what – was that on the ground, hidden beneath the smoke? As he puzzled over the incident, he became deeply troubled with the realization that the smoke was not natural, nor was the silence within it. Something manipulated the moment, but how far did that manipulation go? What happened to Aviaz? What part in his death did that other entity play?

He looked down the street, and glimpsed a figure standing at the end, watching the crowd as it dispersed and slowly picked up the tasks of the day from where they left off. The person still had the hood up, making the face indiscernible. The Doctor took off at a run, towards the figure, who turned and just as quickly moved in a direction away from the town. They passed Sissy's school, and soon he found himself in an area with scraggly bushes and hard earth. He yelled stop, and the figure came to a sudden halt and swung around, facing the Doctor.

"I just want to talk to you" he said.

The figure shook its head to say no.

"I need to know what you did!" The Doctor yelled, his hearts racing from the run.

The figure again shook its head no.

"I am the Doctor! You will answer me!" He yelled.

This time, the hand came up, and in a swiping moment, again brought up the wall of smoke. Taking a quick step forward to enter it, the Doctor found himself unable to go through. This time the wall was solid! He raised his fists to hit it, yelling as his anger exploded, but the blockage refused to budge.

Realizing the hopelessness of the situation, the Doctor stood back, waiting impatiently for the smoke to disperse. This time it did so slowly, and when he was able to see through it, there was nothing there except the bushes and the rocks.

"At least I know you're human. I think." He said under his breath. He turned, looking behind him at the distance he had to cover to return to the courtyard where the Tardis was parked. Sighing, he began walking, thinking he should get cleaned up and check up on Sissy and her mother.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Alexine fell to her knees as her footing found solid ground beneath her. Normally she rematerialized gracefully, but never before had she transported with her heart beating wildly. She didn't move for quite awhile, with the exception of taking giant gulps of air, trying to calm the panic that was not finished rising in her. He saw her! How did he see her? She had never been seen before – that she knew of.

Slowly, with the help of the wall, she clamored up, gingerly testing her legs to make sure they would support her. She leaned back against the wall, still breathing erratically, now with adrenaline surging through her. As her legs adjusted to her weight, she pushed away from the wall and began pacing through the room. A mantra formed in her mind "How did he see me? Why did he see me? How did he see me? Why did he see me?" The phrase repeated over and over, her pacing becoming frantic, her erratic breath reaching a feverish pitch.

The afternoon sun was giving up its grip on the heat, and the glorious display of the sunset was just beginning to show its promise. This time of the day usually filled her with joy, but she was blind to the display outside. Her irregular pacing still did not ease. The panic, instead of dissipating, was raising to a timbre that she feared briefly for the strain on her own heart, before dismissing the thought as not relative. She was being lead somewhere in her mind, and she desperately wanted to arrive there. The panic was feeding the blood rush that was taking a path to deductive reasoning. There was something she had to ask – some thought she had to form. "How did he see me? Why did he see me?"

When it came to her, the question she needed to ask – the abruptness of the arrival of the moment caused her to collapse to the floor, her mind immediately shut down. For several hours she laid there, unconscious to the passing of any time. When later, her heart healed from its state of near bursting, her limbs once again strong and steady, and her brain cleared, the question came to her instantly upon awakening, and she sat up quickly, a gasp on her lips.

"WHO was he?"

Her earlier panic now truly gone, Alexine pulled herself off the floor, and headed towards her kitchen. The hot springs deep in the ground below her house supplied her with water for beverages that was heated perfectly for her tea. She began to prepare it with automated movements, not needing to concentrate on a task that she had performed countless of times. Instead, her brain turned around the question, examining it from all angles.

He was obviously not from Sandgel, not with the clothes that he had on. He was young, healthy enough to chase her for quite a way. He called himself Doctor. The Doctor, to be precise. Usually a self-introduction isn't worded that way. She wouldn't say "Hi, I'm THE Alexine." No, she would say "I'm Alexine." That means the word The was a title. THE Doctor. But the word doctor itself was a title. So….he purports himself to be The Doctor. His accent was not one she had ever heard before. And, most important, he was angry. So very, very angry. She assumed that the anger was over the death of the man Aviaz. She could understand his anger. That was horrible – his little girl was there and saw the smoke. Alexine had paused at the end of the block, watching the little girl, making sure that someone would comfort her. The way she wrapped herself around the woman, it must have been her mother. That's why she had got caught by The Doctor – because she had hesitated over concern for the little girl. Not that she could have intervened or done anything for her, though.

She sighed. This is starting to get complicated. It was easier before – she just did what had to be done and disappeared in a poof of smoke. But now, it wasn't so clear to her. She was now aware of what was happening outside of her smoke bubble, and it was beginning to interfere.

Her tea prepared, Alexine took her cup outside. She turned to look at her cottage. It was very pretty, a small dwelling with a kitchen, bedroom, and relaxing area. It was situated in the middle of a great expanse of desert. She enjoyed books, and had the shelves stuffed with them to prove it. In particular, history books telling the stories of those that had lived before her time were ones that were well read. The stone of the cottage blended in with the rough sand of the desert, the plants that were growing around it giving a contrasting bright green color. The plants had deep roots that were able to burrow through the sand and between the rocks to find the nourishment that they needed. Her cottage was peaceful, and she enjoyed it immensely. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't live here. She long ago gave up trying to remember anything from prior to when she woke up in that lovely bed, the morning sun streaming through the lace of the curtains, everything that she needed contained in the beautiful cottage. Her intelligence tells her that she had to come from somewhere, but her aloneness makes it impossible for her to investigate.

The years that had passed prior to her acceptance of this state were now beginning to blur in her mind. At first, she had cried, had raged even, cursing Gods that she wasn't sure existed, and trying desperately to find a way home. Wherever that was. The boredom at first was debilitating, until she discovered the books. One day, she woke up and they were there. She attacked them like a rabid animal finding a weaker prey. She consumed them, sometimes reading and studying for days without a break. She found that by diving into the books, she removed herself from her own existence for that time. As she fed her starved mind, it grew in its intelligence and reasoning but most of all it grew in its acquiescence of her life, her lack of historical facts regarding its beginning, and ability to be hopeful of a future.

Since then, that too had evolved into a normal passion and no longer a desperate quest. She can now enjoy the stories in the books for what they were meant to do – educate and entertain. She also discovered books that were in different disciplines – science and biology, mathematics, philosophy, arts, and her least favorite only because she truly could not grasp the concept – religion.

She thought back to the time, after many years of exile, when she woke one day to find a white hooded cloak across the foot of her bed. As with the other items in the cottage, it just appeared and by this time she did no longer questioned why, although she had a sense that it was prophetic. It was made of sturdy cloth but was not extraordinary in any way except for the perfection of the weave and its brightness. Her heart pounding with excitement, she swung the cloak over her bedclothes, and turned to look into the full length mirror. The cloak fit her perfectly!

As she pulled the hood down over her head, she found herself rushed into a vortex of space. Moving at incredible speed, her shout of surprise disappeared in the rush of wind around her. After a brief moment, she was unceremoniously dumped, for all effect and purpose, onto a dirt road in a forest area.

As she righted herself, she bent over automatically to brush off the cloak only to discover that it had not been soiled in her fall. She looked around, wonderment showing in her pretty face, her mind spinning with the realization that she had just been transported out of her bedroom! She peeked under the cloak and confirmed that she still had her bedclothes on, and was without slippers on her feet!

Gingerly, she began picking her way out of the middle of the road. The side of the road showed lush grasses, which she thought would be easier on her naked feet. As she let her foot sink into the grass, the coolness immediately registering in her brain, she heard a noise and gave a slight start. She had been alone for so long, she wasn't used to noises being made by anything other than what she had control over. Turning her back to the road, she saw what had alerted her – there was a woman lying in the grass! She looked quickly up and down the road, to check if there were any other people in the area to help. Not seeing anyone, she hesitated. The moan of pain that came from the woman made up her mind for her.

Alexine made her way over, approaching cautiously. She couldn't remember the last time she saw another person. She was sure that she had, at one point or another, had interacted with someone else. But she couldn't remember when. Here was another person! Her pounding heart jumped even more when she saw how elderly the woman was. She was breathing laboriously; her eyes closed tight, her face screwed up in pain. Alexine kneeled down and put her hand on the woman's arm.

"Ma'am, can I help you?" She said.

The old woman opened her eyes, and in a weak voice gasped. "You came! I asked God to send you and you came!"

"Well, I don't know about God, but yes, I'm here. My name is Alexine. Let me help you. Do you live nearby?"

"Take me home, Alexine. It hurts. I just want to go home." Her voice was barely discernible.

"Yes, yes – but where is home? I'll run ahead and bring back help."

"No, child. There is no one there for me. Nothing is left. Please take me home now. I'm ready." This little bit of conversation left her weaker and her voice shaky.

Alexine leaned back on her heels, confused. She didn't understand the contradiction. Maybe the old woman was delirious? She looked fully at the woman, and saw that she must have suffered a fall – her body was twisted at an unnatural angle, and there was bone showing on her foot. Blood had soaked the ground, and it was obvious that this accident had happened awhile ago. This poor woman! How long has she been laying here like this?

"I don't understand what you want me to do!" She cried, a mild panic starting to build in her as she fought to keep her voice controlled.

"Hold me – just hold me so I can go home."

Alexine was afraid to move the woman's body in any way, because she didn't want to cause her any more pain. So she put one hand on the woman's cheek, caressing her. The other hand she put on her chest, and she bent over, so that the top of her body hovered over her.

"I don't know what to do." She whispered quietly.

"Tell me that he loves me and that he wants me to come home. That's all I need to hear."

"What is your name?"

"Sybil" She looked at Alexine with hope and expectation in her gaze.

Wanting to placate the woman, Alexine whispered in her ear "Sybil, he loves you. He's waiting for you to come home. It's time to go."

With that, Sybil's eyes locked on Alexine's, and as she watched, the pain left and a look of joy replaced it. "Thank you" she softly said. And her eyes closed. No final gasp of breath, no spasm of her body, just a gentle closing of her eyes. Alexine immediately knew that life had left Sybil's body by the releasing of the tension that the pain had created.

Tears formed in her eyes and slowly spilled over her cheeks. She finally met another person, and she was gone! Her heart ached for the friendship that would never form. This woman had already lived her life, and Alexine arrived just in time for the ending. She had been in such pain! She was glad that Sybil's pain was finished, but sorry for her own pain of once again being alone.

Alexine stayed in that same position bent over Sybil's body, for a long time. When she finally straightened, she saw that there was a heavy smoke that had surrounded them. As she stood, wiping the tears from her eyes, she found herself swirled again in that same vortex, and the next instant was on the floor in front of her mirror, back in her bedroom. She screamed, and tore off the white cloak, throwing it on the floor and kicked it away. She scrambled back away from it, her chest heaving and her head hurting terribly. She climbed up onto her bed, and burrowing her face into her pillow, she wept.

Alexine sipped her tea, lost in her memories of her meeting of Sybil. That was the day that she found out what her purpose was. She had been on countless trips since then, always summoned by the appearance of the cloak. At first she refused to put it on again, but it would keep appearing – in the kitchen, across the chair, folded on the garden wall. She even tried to burn it once, but it remained pristine, lying on the coals as the flames danced around it. Always quietly insisting with its presence that it be put on. If she brought it out to the desert and left it, the cloak would be at her front door when she got home. She would give in finally and put it on, to be immediately transported to someone else who was about to die. She repeated the same position, the same words that she had with Sybil until it became what Alexine referred to as the "Death ritual". The only difference now is that she made sure she was dressed with proper foot wear on before donning the cloak! She also learned how to brace herself to stop the loss of balance that the landings always threatened.

After many times of performing the death ritual, Alexine learned that she could also transport herself as desired to different places on the planet. All she needed to do was to put on the cloak, and she would transport as soon as she raised the hood. There was seldom any need to do so, as anything she desired appeared in the cottage. But sometimes she wanted a change of scenery, and would visit a forest or a desert and take samples of a plant with a pretty flower or visit a book store, cloak carefully hidden away, to find new subjects that she thought were interesting. She never purchased anything, she didn't have any money if she had wanted to anyway, but the items appeared the next morning in her cottage.

Her tea finished, Alexine decided that tonight was one of those times when she wanted to leave her cottage. Her panic now totally dissipated, she wanted to visit the place where she saw the Doctor, where that wall of smoke appeared. She was curious, because that had never happened before. She had called up the smoke with a wave of her hand other times, but never had it taken a solid shape before. She remembered seeing his fists strike the wall, and his mouth as he yelled, but could not hear anything from beyond the smoke. She wanted to see if any trace remained of the wall.

After depositing her teacup in the kitchen, she entered her bedroom, glanced in the mirror and swung the cloak around her shoulders. As she adjusted the hood up, she thought of the place where the smoke wall was and appeared there.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The Doctor was sitting in the courtyard where the Tardis was still parked, still in awe at the majestic sunset he had just witnessed. Just about every planet he had ever visited had something unique to it and from what he had seen this planet had a couple. First there was this night breeze – if he could bottle it, he'd be rich! It seemed to be rejuvenating and calming. He wanted to linger here indefinitely and enjoy the sensation. In addition, there was the setting of the sun over the desert that held him in such wonderment, he wished for the first time in almost a century, that he had someone there to share it with him.

The only thought that marred this perfect visit was the nagging worry of what had happened to Aviaz. The mystery of the other being that was there, and what it did to Aviaz mocked him with the compulsion to solve it, if nothing else but for the safety of the other planet's inhabitants. The Tardis had chosen this destination, and the Doctor's gut instinct told him that this was why. When he left Sissy and her mother, they were preparing the body for the death ceremony. He was able to slip into the room to examine the body, and as he had thought, there was no sign of a wound or of any illness. His family insisted that he had always been the perfect picture of health, that even as a child the normal sicknesses did not faze him. There was no way to determine from the information that he had available exactly what had killed the handsome, virile man.

His thoughts led back to that smoke, and the wall that appeared. At the time, he hurriedly came back to the town to check on Sissy, but now wondered if it warranted a second look. Shrugging as he realized that he didn't have any pressing tasks that needed tending to, he decided to take a walk back to where the wall had appeared and have a look about.


	3. Wishes

A/N This chapter switches points of view often. It's intentional.

Chapter 3

Alexine quickly shed her cloak and stuffed it into the bag that she had grabbed from her bedroom. She was always careful to never been seen with the cloak. She found the spot where she had stood earlier in the day, when she had made the wall appear. Squatting down, she examined the ground by the light of the moons to determine if there was any kind of disturbance on the ground, any proof that the wall had existed. She saw no imprint, no line, or anything at all that wasn't supposed to be there. Sighing in relief, convinced that she had left no clues, she slowly turned around, appreciating the desert night breeze. Deciding that she didn't need to immediately return, she walked over to a group of rocks that were waist high, and scrambled up, crossing her legs at the ankles and leaning back on the rock, looking up into the night sky.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

The Doctor found the spot that he was looking for without any problem, and unknowingly, repeated Alexine's movements almost exactly in his own investigation of the earlier phenomenon. Coming to the same conclusions, that there was no evidence left behind, he straightened up and looked suddenly to his left, sensing that there was something there.

He saw rocks, and something that was on them. The shape, silhouetted in the moonlight, wasn't jagged enough to be another rock or bush. As he cautiously approached it, he saw that it was a woman, casually sitting on the rock in the desert, looking up at the sky. He glanced up as well, checking to make sure that there wasn't anything in that direction that he should be concerned about. He caught his sigh of relief before it could leave his body, wanting the stealth of quietness about him for another moment. He observed her, discovering that she seemed to be of young years, in her 20's. She had long brown hair, which extended down her back as her head was tilted up towards the sky. Even from the distance he could tell that she was breathtaking in her beauty. It had been a long time since he had last allowed himself the pleasure of admiring beauty, and he drank it in for another moment before he cautiously started forward.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Alexine was trying to find her star so that she could determine what part of the planet she was on. It was a game she played when she was out at night and had a moment to look up. Her favorite star was tinted pink, and twinkled in the center of the mountain constellation, as it was called in her books. Sometimes it took her awhile to spot it, but she knew patience and slowly scanned the sections of the sky that were visible to her. Once she found her star, she would be able to tell her position on the ground. She sensed, rather than heard, a movement to her side, and whipped her head around, instantly sitting straight up and ready to flee. As her sight found its target, her hand went to her mouth to stifle her cry, her face paled, and her recently calmed heart started beating in overtime yet again at the sight of the only person that had ever seen her perform the death ritual. The Doctor.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The Doctor watched her as she jumped at the sight of him and paled. He must have frightened the daylights out of her! "Oi – sorry about that. Didn't mean to startle you!" His friendly demeanor, normally non-threatening to others, didn't seem to offer her comfort. "I was enjoying a walk and didn't realize that anyone else would be about. Have you caught anything interesting?" He nodded up as he said that, assuming that she was star gazing. He approached her, but stopped about 10 feet away. Up this close to her, he saw the terror in her face and appreciated her position of being alone in the desert with a strange man.

"I – I – no, there's nothing there. I was just – I was" Alexine found it difficult to speak or to even form a sentence. Her instinct was telling her to run, to erect the smoke wall again, and to hide. But her brain was telling her to stay put. He couldn't possibly know who she was. Don't give him cause to be curious. She forcibly took a deep breath, looked down a moment, and steadied her hand by placing it on her lap holding on to the other one. As she looked back up, she gave a small smile and began again. "I was looking for the mountain constellation, but can't seem to spot it tonight."

"Did you lose it? Hmmm…mustn't have that! It drives me crazy when constellations aren't where they're supposed to be!" He crossed his arms and looked up himself. For a moment, he stood in silence, allowing her time to study him in return. He suddenly looked down again, and giving her his best toothy grin said, "By the way, what is the mountain constellation?"

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Alexine couldn't help herself. She giggled. She abruptly stopped herself, and once again slapped her hand on her mouth. She giggled! She doesn't giggle! Great, she thought. Let me disguise myself – instead of being the harbinger of death, let me be a silly idiot instead! Great disguise – he'll never guess!

"The mountain constellation is true north. When I can find it, I know exactly where I am."

"Don't tell me you're lost too! Cause I know where YOU are!" The Doctor said with a laugh of his own in his tone.

"No, not lost. Just – oh, never mind, it doesn't matter. I don't normally see others in the desert at night. Strange time to be taking a walk, isn't it? What's your name?"

"I'm the Doctor. Pleased to meet you!"

"I'm Alexine. What did you say you were you doing in the desert again?"

"Oh, I didn't say. But it's a beautiful night for a walk! You must live close to here?"

"I don't think so. No. No, I don't live here. Not HERE, anyway. But I live here. Oh…never mind." She became a little flustered, not knowing how to avoid lying without giving away any truths.

"It's ok – sometimes the simplest questions are the hardest to answer, don't you think? Can I help you find your missing constellation?"

"How can you help me find it? Do you have a star gazing glass with you?"

"Star gazing glass? What a charming name! No, I don't have one with me. Sorry. But maybe you can draw in the sand what the constellation looks like and I can help you find it!"

Alexine jumped down off her perch, and standing only a couple of feet away from him, was able to size him up a little better. He was taller than her by several inches, very thin, with a cheeriness about him that was infectious. Her instinct told her that she was in no danger from this man. She picked up a rock, and squatting down, drew a rough outline of the constellation. Using pebbles from the desert floor, she placed them where the major stars were in the outline.

"Oh, THAT constellation! The Doctor said. Alexine stood up facing him. He said to her "turn around." As she complied, he came up close to her. So close that she could feel his breath on the top of her head. He reached over her shoulder with his arm, and pointed. "There it is, exactly where you left it, I think."

As she followed the direction that he pointed, the bright constellation appeared in her vision. It would have taken her forever to find it since she was looking in the opposite direction that it was in! A meteor streaked across the sky, temporarily causing her night vision to diminish from its brightness.

"There's a custom on one of the planets that I used to visit quite a bit, to make a wish on a shooting star. That's what they called meteors there, shooting stars. Close your eyes and make a wish."

Alexine closed her eyes, feeling strangely compelled to follow his instructions. She thought of what a wish was. She hadn't "wished" anything for a long time. She wished that she could be normal, then immediately felt guilty. Ok, she thought, a compromise. I wish I could be normal for a little while. How's that? Maybe take a vacation from death rituals to normalcy. Visit a beach, go dancing, and eat fancy foods. That's it – I wish for a vacation like the ones I've read about in my books.

"Hey – is it that difficult to decide on a wish? You can make two if it's too hard to choose." The doctor's voice was very close to her ear, and she realized that he was still behind her, almost touching. She stepped forward to break the intimacy that the position alluded to, and turned around to face him.

"Yes, I made a wish. What a silly custom! But fun, I admit. I think I'll keep that one, and make a wish from now on whenever I see a rock go flying across the sky."

"Make sure it's on fire or the wish won't come true!"

At that, Alexine crossed from a giggle into an outright laugh. "Do I have to tell you what I wished for?"

"No" said the Doctor. "In fact, you have to keep it secret. The power of the wish magic is in the secret. Break the secret and break the magic."

"Now, that's silly!" She said. "You had me going up to then. But just to be safe, I'll keep it secret, and we'll see if it comes true. How long does it take?"

"Oh, sometimes immediate, sometimes a long time, and sometimes it comes true but not in the way you thought."

"What do you mean, not in the way you thought?"

The Doctor gestured with his arm for her to walk with him. "Sometimes what we wish for is a disguise for asking for what we really need. Those times may see your wish fulfilled, but the outcome will be different than what you originally asked for."

She was quiet for a moment, walking beside him, finally saying: "I don't understand."

"May I tell you a story?" The Doctor asked. Alexine nodded her acquiescence and the Doctor began, strolling unhurriedly towards the town.

"There is a group of people on a planet that I once visited – they're called Sapels. They're a very athletic people, who enjoy their sports and competitions, having national holidays when the different finals are played. Their sports sometimes are life threatening, and only the very skilled and brave will dare to compete. One sport in particular involves taking a floating sphere, climbing high above the arena, and dropping into the sand pit without falling off their feet. There was this man, Jim, who wished that he could participate in the floating sphere drop, but he was afraid of heights. He would fantasize that he was on the podium, being awarded his medal and raising his arms in triumph to the screaming of the fans. One day, he saw a shooting star and made his wish. He wished that he could experience, just once, dropping from the floating sphere."

"The promoters would sometimes run contests during the breaks in the action for the audience. While Jim was at the arena with his son, watching a competition, his number was called to try his luck in the center of the arena. He made way down through the fans, to find out that the contest called for him to raise himself with a floating sphere, maneuvering himself over a pool of water, and dropping down. The sphere would only raise about 10 feet off the ground, so it was as safe as it could be. The contest was a child's version of the one that the professional athletes were competing in, but to Jim was still a terrifying feat. Jim put on a brave face, and allowed the cable to be wrapped around his arm, then was raised to the top of the level. He was shaking with fear and grabbed the cable with both hands trying to steady himself. His feet were kicking, involuntarily trying to find something to anchor to, but were inadvertently taking him towards the pool. Becoming exhausted from the fear and the kicking, he felt his grip loosen, and plunged down, away from the safety of the cable. He was incredibly surprised when he landed smack in the middle of the pool, and won the contest! To his greatest joy, he found himself on the podium, accepting the medal to the cheers of the people."

"That doesn't sound so bad to me" Alexine said.

"Well, it's not a bad story, but that's not where it ends. Time passed, and Jim was again with his son, this time scoping out a mountain for a possible work site. They used floating spheres similar to the athletic contest to float equipment over the side of the mountain to take readings that were needed in their work. Jim's son, while detaching some equipment from his pack, lost his footing and went over the side of the mountain. Jim ran to the edge and peered over, his heart pounding in his chest at the height, but his fear being overridden with concern for his son's welfare. He saw him below, on a small shelf of rock, clinging to the wall of the mountain precariously. Yelling to his son to hold on, he ran to the equipment pile and desperately began to throw things about, looking for something to help his son. Shovels, charts, books, all went flying. The one thing that he sought did not appear – they had climbed the mountain without any rope."

"Now it's sounding pretty hopeless" Alexine interjected.

"No, it's actually sounding pretty exciting to me" the Doctor quipped. "Don't you see? The only thing he had that could reach his son was the floating sphere! He pulled it down by its cable, and no – he couldn't detach the cable to use as a rope – and after detaching the survey equipment, he wrapped the cable around his arm and stepped off the end of the mountain – the only fear was that of not reaching his son in time. The sphere was controlled by the concentration of gas within it. This particular sphere was calibrated to carry some survey equipment, not a full grown man. So when Jim stepped off the edge, the sphere gently started to float down. As he passed his son, Jim grabbed him around his waist and pulled him against his side. With even more weight, the sphere started down at a faster rate, not crashing, but not lingering either. After a few short moments, they gracefully stepped onto the floor of the valley, and threw their arms around each other in celebration."

"So, his wish was to float just once, but in doing so he conquered his fear and later on was able to rescue his son?"

"Exactly. What he needed was to conquer his fear of heights. His wish disguised that."

"And they lived happily ever after?"

"Well, actually, they got into a huge argument."

"They argued? Whatever about?"

"Who was going to climb back up the mountain to get the equipment that was still there."

Alexine stopped in her tracks and looked at the Doctor with her mouth open. "They argued? After that life or death situation they argued?" Her disbelief was warring with the smile that was tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Well, it didn't last long. The father refused to budge, saying that he was the old one, and the young one needed to climb the mountain. He also used a little guilt, I think, pressing the issue of having to step off the mountain to begin with to save the kid. So the kid climbed the mountain, got the equipment, and they went to the pub to have a beer."

"Wait a minute. Did you make this up?"

"Who…me? Now do I seem like the kind of guy to just go about talking to strange women, telling them stories that are untrue?"

"They went to a pub?"

The Doctor winked at Alexine. "I personally always try to go to a pub after I rescue someone. It gives me time to let off steam. I can use a drink now, in fact. Tell me – do you need rescuing from anything? It could be my excuse."

"No, I'm fine, thanks. But if I need rescuing in the future, I'll let you know." Her laughter threatened to bubble over from the ridiculous direction that the conversation had taken.

Suddenly the Doctor's persona changed from a carefree attitude to one of tremendous seriousness. "Alexine" he began. "Call me. If you ever need help, call for me. I'll come. I promise you that." As quickly as he changed, he went back to his prior posture. "Right then."

They had strolled during the interlude into the town, and were paused very close to where the death ritual had been performed earlier in the day. For now, though, the stalls were closed, the chickens were quiet in their pen and Sandgel itself was once again asleep.

"It's late. Can I see you home?" The Doctor asked.

"Thanks, but I'm ok. I'm going to walk about some more first."

"Ok" said the Doctor. "Goodnight." He started to walk away, but stopped and turned around. "Alexine" he said. She looked at him and waited. "Have tea with me. Tomorrow. Please." He seemed awkward in the spontaneous gesture.

She looked down at the ground as she contemplated the question. She had never been asked to tea before. He was a visitor, so it was unlikely that she would ever run into him again, and he was funny and she so very much wanted to spend more time with him. "When?" She asked.

"Tomorrow. Meet me in the morning, at the rock that we met tonight. I'll bring tea. Please say you'll come."

"I'll be there. Mid morning." She was glad for the darkness of the night, hoping that it hid the burning in her face that she felt. "I'll see you then, Doctor."

"Good night, Alexine." He strode away from her, his trainers slapping a jaunty beat as he headed towards the Tardis.

Alexine walked down the block before slipping in between some buildings and taking out her cloak from the bag. After adjusting it, she paused while putting up the hood, a half smile on her face, the pleasure of the evening lingering in her consciousness. This is what it felt like to have a friend. She looked up at the sky, immediately spotting the mountain constellation. "Thank you." She whispered.


	4. Tea With The Doctor

Disclaimer: Did I mention that I don't own Doctor Who? I bow to the creators and owners of the series and want them to know that this is just for fun and there will not be any funds or other material objects awarded from this. I'm just playing with the Doctor a bit – I'll put him back where he belongs when I'm done – I promise!

Chapter 4

During the second sunrise that the Doctor witnessed from his seat in the courtyard he thought about the beautiful woman that he met the night before. Alexine, he said softly out loud, trying out the name on his tongue. During his travels, he often sat down with people from all different places, sampling their lives and absorbing the experiences that they told him about. He was fascinated with new things and sought them out enthusiastically. His time with Sissy the day before was an example of a new experience. Who ever thought that a chicken could be a trade secret? Well, not the chicken exactly, but their eggs. He would never look at an egg the same way again! Sissy was a wonderful child, full of innocence and excitement. Exactly how an 8 year old child should be. His life was more full because of the moments that she contributed to it.

Today he had an appointment for tea with a woman who liked to walk at night in the desert and look at the stars. Oh – and he had a mystery to solve! His thoughts turning grim with the memory of the day before, he decided that he would ask Alexine if she had ever heard of a bubble or wall of smoke coming out of nowhere. The first part of solving this mystery would be to determine if it was a onetime thing, or a repetitive scene that had appeared before.

The Tardis was fully equipped to provide anything that the Doctor needed. Although items didn't mysteriously appear and he had to spend effort from time to time to stock up on supplies, it still was an efficient ship with a fully functioning galley. The Doctor prepared the items needed for a tea in the desert, storing them in the old fashioned picnic basket that he hadn't used for a long time. He made a tea that he picked up from New New York during his last stop there. The tea was infused with herbs that were fragrant and mild, just perfect for morning tea. He found a tin of biscuits that were sweetened with the honey from a bee hive that was tended by the ancient people of Pompeii. He got some from the market before he had to blow them up. He looked wistfully at the tin. Sad thoughts sometimes leaked through despite his best efforts. With a visible shrug, he resolutely pushed the people of Pompeii, their bee hives and their volcano to the back of his mind.

Feeling satisfied with his preparations, the Doctor took the now familiar path outside of town to the group of rocks that Alexine had promised to meet at. He once again glanced at the area where the smoke wall had been, giving a cursory look in the bright daylight, but again found no trace of what had transpired the day before.

He continued his walk to the rocks, squinting his eyes against the bright sun. He saw a flash of white that was gone before he could make out what it was. Almost immediately afterwards, Alexine came out from behind the rock cluster, carrying a large bag over her shoulder. She was dressed in the same type of tunic that other locals wore, but hers was decorated with a rich tapestry of colors and belted at the waist with a long scarf tied into an intricate knot. She greeted him by raising her hand and bestowing a smile that lit up her whole face.

"Ah, Madame! Thank you for coming! Tea is served in the..." he looked about for a moment, choosing his next words. "Granite conservatory. May I seat you?" He was rewarded with a giggle before holding out his arm for her to take. As they walked away from the rocks to find a flat place to spread the picnic blanket, the Doctor looked over his shoulder one last time.

"Problem?" She asked.

"No, just checking. I thought I saw something before, but it was nothing."

She helped him to spread out the blanket, and they began laying out cups and plates and pouring the tea. After settling in a bit, the Doctor said "So Alexine. Tell me about yourself. What do you do?"

"Pardon me?" She froze with the teacup halfway to her mouth.

"What do you do? During the day? Do you work? Do you tend others? What fills your life?"

"I'm a – uh – helper. I find people and send them home" she said with a careful tone to her voice.

"Really!" His face lit up. "They must be happy to see you when you show up!"

Her teacup still frozen in space, she held in the snort that threatened and answered "sometimes." She visibly shook her head a bit and asked him a question back. "And what kind of a Doctor are you?"

"The kind that travels. Everywhere. All planets, all galaxies." He didn't laugh at the stunned look on her face. "It's fun! You should try it!"

"What do you do in your travels?" She prompted further, appearing glad to get the focus off of herself.

"Oh, I help people too. Sometimes, if they need it. Well, I guess quite often. Always. Actually, sometimes they need help because of me. But I always help!" She looked dizzy from his rapid fire answers. The Doctor decided to change the direction of the conversation away from his history. "That's how I got these biscuits. I love them, don't you? Especially the little blue ones. They're sweetened with honey from a place called Pompeii. I think the honey is so sweet because of the heat that was coming from the fissures underneath the mountain, it was always spewing gasses and steam. It's special, I've never found anything quite like it." He paused in his story, his face for a moment thoughtful. "Of course, I don't know if I can ever get anymore." He started as if reminding himself that he wasn't alone. "No matter!" He exclaimed, once again cheerful. "I'm sure they have honey on other planets!"

"Do you often go to different planets? Which one do you call home?" She asked both questions with a curiosity that showed on her open face.

"I used to call a planet named Gallifrey my home. Now, though, my home is my ship, the Tardis. I travel often, just came from a place called New New York. You hear of it?"

"No, I've never heard of it. You don't live on Gallifrey anymore?"

"No one lives on Gallifrey anymore" he said sadly. After all these years, the pain was still raw when he thought of his old home.

"Why not?" Alexine asked the question very quietly, and it dawned on the Doctor that the entire conversation had become serious and intense.

He looked up at her face and saw that she was truly interested in his answer. After a brief hesitation, he answered softly "Because it died." Her eyes closed when she heard his answer.

"Everything dies" she said very softly.

"Yes" his answer was barely heard. "Even planets."

"So now you wander on your – Tardis?" He nodded at her question and she continued "with your family?"

For some reason the gentle tone of her voice caused his throat to slightly constrict. "No" he said hoarsely. "I'm alone."

"So am I" she whispered, breaking eye contact and looking down at her tea.

The Doctor reached over and placed his hand on hers. When she looked up at him, he cocked his head slightly to one side, smiled, and said "right now neither one of us are alone, are we?" His question had the desired effect as she smiled and shook her head. He patted her hand before withdrawing his own.

Wanting to learn about her, and to break the mood before it became melancholy, the Doctor asked, "Have you traveled much?"

Alexine looked off into the distance for a short time before answering "Yes and no. I've been places, but haven't had any time to explore, so I couldn't tell you anything about them."

"Hey – that's a waste! You should come with me sometime – we would stroll the bazaars, dance at the clubs, eat weird stuff that we can't pronounce, swim in bubbling oceans and…." His enthusiastic tangent came to an abrupt end as he realized what he was saying. He had swore that he would NEVER take another companion with him. It was a rule he was determined not to break, no matter how pretty they were. Much subdued, he finished, "Well, you know. You need to at least look about a bit. Shame to waste the opportunity." His voice trailed off and a silence ensued.

Alexine picked up on his change of demeanor and inquired softly "Doctor, you said that you're alone. How about others from your planet? You can't be the only one from all of Gallifrey!"

"Yes I can" he said. "I am the only one of my kind."

"How sad" She replied.

"Yes, well – sometimes it is. But what about your family? How is it that you're alone?"

It was Alexine's turn to become subdued. "I have no family."

"Did they die?"

"I don't know" she replied honestly.

"How can you not know?"

"I don't remember them. I don't remember anything from before." She flinched as she said this, as if afraid of the questions he would ask in response to her answer.

"I see" was all he said. He held off from commenting further, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

She looked up quickly, searching his face earnestly as if looking for acceptance. Her eyes met his, and he saw something there that made his equilibrium tilt. He saw similarities. They were both alone. Be careful, he told himself.

The two of them spent an enjoyable morning in the desert. The doctor at one point had Alexine's face streaked with tears of laughter as he tried to duplicate the sound that a two headed opera singer makes when they hit both their highest and lowest note at the same time. He liked the way she held onto her ribcage and rocked back and forth trying to control the breath that the laughter stole from her. He became very silly, telling her stories of inconsequential things that he had come across, drawing in the sand shapes that would further his tales, and making faces to help illustrate the descriptions that he was telling her. He was enjoying himself tremendously! It was with regret that he realized the back of his neck was burning, reminding him why people who lived in deserts wore hoods or hats. Alexine herself was still bare-headed and the bridge of her nose was turning pink.

"I'm afraid we've not been very careful with our exposure to the sun. Your nose is pink and my neck is burning" the Doctor said.

"Some Doctor you are!" she teased him.

"Oi! Give a man a break!" His eyes were crinkled with more laughter as he started gathering up the tea items that had been sitting unused for quite a time.

"I have to be getting back, I think. I didn't mean to stay out this long."

Glancing quickly up at her, the Doctor asked, "Before you go, Alexine, I wanted to ask you something." At her nod, he continued in a much more serious vein. "Yesterday in the market, a man collapsed and died very suddenly." The Doctor wasn't particularly paying attention to her face at the moment, as he was still busy packing the picnic basket. He missed the catch of her breath and the way her eyes widened suddenly. "While these things I'm sure happen from time to time all over, there was a strange smoke in the area that didn't seem to have anything to do with the weather or atmosphere. Have you ever seen this smoke? At one point it looked like a bubble, another time a solid wall."

"Doesn't sound familiar to me" he heard her say.

"Right. Probably one of those fluke things that never happen again" he said.

The Doctor stood up and reached his hand to Alexine to help her up. They folded the blanket together which he draped over his arm. "Walk back with me?" He asked.

They strolled slowly under the now hot desert sun. "Can you meet with me again?" He asked her.

"I'm not sure I should" she said.

"Oh, come on. I didn't spill tea all over you, didn't talk with my mouth full. I was charming and considerate. What's not to be sure about?" He wasn't actually sure himself if he should see her again. He wanted to, and it was the want that concerned him. She had said very little about herself after admitting that she didn't remember her past. It was the way she laughed with him, as if she truly found him pleasant to be with. It had been so long since someone found him pleasant. Or maybe it was more correct to say it had been so long since he let anyone find him pleasant. He couldn't help himself. Warning bells were ringing so loud he could hardly hear her acceptance when it came.

"Tomorrow?" She asked.

"Yes! This is good!" He babbled. "Your turn to bring the tea!"

She laughed again. "Ok, Doctor. I'll bring the tea. But I'll warn you in advance, I don't have any fancy biscuits made with boiled honey!"

"We'll make do" he said. At that, he held out his arm for her to take and they walked together into the town.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

After giving the Doctor the slip in the market pretending to have to pick up some items, Alexine arrived home in a daze. What a fantastic morning! This was the first friend she had ever made, and she was giddy with the sensation of another being knowing of her existence. She draped the cloak over the end of her bed and went to press some cool water on her face. Examining herself in the mirror she realized that she did, in fact, have a pink nose, with matching pink cheeks. Even that minor burn gave her reason to smile. Proof that this morning really happened and she hadn't imagined it!

Going to her kitchen, she looked through her cupboards to see what she had to pack for a tea picnic. The silly song that the Doctor had sang to her earlier was stuck in her head, and she hummed it as she poked about. She gathered some items in her arms, but as she turned around, the humming stopped and her good spirits immediately left her. Appearing on the table, neatly folded, was the cloak. She carefully put the tea fixings down on the table and reached into her pocket to find her ribbon to tie her hair back with. Her eyes never moving from the cloak, she swept back the heavy hair out of her face, fastening it with the ribbon. The ritual helped her to shut her emotions down and to slip into her other persona. It was time to go to work.

The cloak fastened around her shoulders, she tugged up the hood and appeared in a courtyard close to the market of the town that she had just left moments before. She looked about, and saw a large blue shed off in the corner, with a bench next to it. The sun was high in the afternoon sky, and Alexine felt its heat bouncing off the stone wall of the buildings surrounding the courtyard. She knew to be patient – the reasons for her being summoned weren't always immediately apparent. Standing still and quietly against the wall, she watched the entryway to the courtyard which showed the visitors to the market strolling by, chatting and jostling their purchases in their arms. She waited.

There were flowers growing in urns to either side of the bench, their fragrance drifting over in the hot afternoon sun. Their riotous display matched the tiles on display in the market, competing for attention. As Alexine quietly waited, the colors on the flowers changed in a kaleidoscope array, moving through the different hues in a seemingly random fashion.

An elderly couple entered the courtyard, their arms linked, their backs hunched over slightly, each carrying a basket. They went over to the bench, and gratefully sank down, obviously needing a rest. The woman nodded her head towards her husband "Go on upstairs and put the tea water on. I'll be right up, I just want to wait for the boy to bring the eggs. He'll bring them to the wrong place again, I know it."

The man stood up again after a moment, looked at his wife and said, "Are you sure? I can wait with you if you want."

"Go, go," she said. "You don't have to worry about me getting lonely. He said he would be right behind us! Go put the water on for me, that's how you can be helpful. I'm not going to run off with the young boy" she said with a cackle that was half laugh, half cough.

"Five minutes then, that's all it will take" he said.

"Go, go. It takes you longer to decide what to do than it takes to do it" she fussed.

Her husband finally gone, she leaned against the building and sighed. She closed her eyes, and said out loud with more strength than she had spoke with before. "Come out, I know you're there. I've been feeling your presence for these past couple of days."

Alexine stepped forward, showing her cloaked self to the woman. "Ah, there you are. At least you're in white. I think I would have been afraid if it were black." Under her hood, Alexine felt a small smile creep up her face. Every now and then, she was expected. When they were elderly like this, she sometimes was even accepted and in rare circumstances, welcomed.

"Are you ready?" Alexine asked softly.

The old woman jumped slightly. "But you're female! I always thought you would be a male!"

"I am who I am" she replied. "Are you ready?" she repeated.

"I am. I have been. Do you think he'll come soon too? He'll miss me."

"I don't know. I don't know such things. Only that I'm here for you."

"I'm ready." Her consent repeated, Alexine approached her and kneeled before her. As soon as her knee touched the ground, the smoke raised up, hiding them from anyone else's view. Alexine could still see the woman's face clearly, could see the rheumy eyes seeking hers. When this close, they often saw her face and gazed into her eyes. She always thought she owed it to them to let them look into her eyes. She had no right to flinch from them, not with what she had come to take. Usually the eyes were scared, but not today. These eyes were so very kind.

"What is your name?" Alexine asked.

"Rosemary" was the answer.

Alexine put her left hand on the woman's face and her right hand on her chest. She could feel her heart racing with unsteady beats under the warmth of her hands. Rosemary was trembling slightly, but not from fear. Her body was tired, it was ill. It was time for her to go. "Rosemary, he loves you. He's waiting for you to come home. It's time to go."

A small smile appeared on her face, and her eyes gently closed. Her body slumped forward slightly, but Alexine caught it and carefully laid her down on the bench. She always spent a minute with them afterwards, finding it a better transition for herself if she didn't just jump up and return. As she was fixing Rosemary's hands so they wouldn't dangle off the bench, something slammed into her back, sending her sprawling over the flower urn before crashing down and rolling off it to land on her side. The side of her face scraped the urn and the palms of her hands roughly tore against the course surface, immediately burning from the damage.

Her exclamation of pain escaped her without warning. Her hood had fallen down when she was tackled, and her legs were now tangled within her cloak. The smoke was as thick as ever, which was her only camouflage. She kicked out at her attacker and turned over so that her stomach was against the rough stone of the courtyard floor. She raised herself to her knees, and felt arms go around her from behind and lock her in a vice like grip.

"I told you I need to know what you're doing" the enraged voice said in her ear. She immediately recognized the Doctor's voice. Struggling against him, she realized that she couldn't overpower him. Her arms were free, and she reached behind her head and yanked her hood up over her face, instantly appearing back in her bedroom, blessedly alone.

Trembling, she took off her cloak and looked at herself in the mirror. Her cheek sported a large scrape with blood seeping out of the broken skin. Small pieces of gravel were stuck in the cuts, annoying the mild sunburn that she was sporting even more. The palms of her hands bore similar abrasions, she discovered as she continued to inventory her body. Bits of the petals from the colorful flowers were ground into her skin, adding unnatural color to the specks of blood.

She reached up slowly, realizing that everything hurt, and peeled off the cloak. For once, she left it on the floor where it fell, assuming that if left to its own devices it would find itself to where it needed to be. Her hair was all over the place, tangled and wild. She looked about for her hair ribbon and figured it must be caught within the folds of the cloak. She would get it later. She headed towards her bathing room to clean her wounds and soak the muscles that she was sure would be protesting shortly.

Wow, that man had a deadly tackle.


	5. The White Ribbon

Chapter 5

The Doctor frantically felt around the ground at his knees, trying to find the person that he had just tackled. She had been there and within a split second, had disappeared. He knew it was a female because of the sound she made when he jumped on her, and also because - well – because he jumped on her.

She fought desperately for a moment against him, surprisingly strong for such a slight body. There was nothing soft at all about her, all sharp angles and – did he mention strong? Her elbows got him in both sides of his ribs, the back of her head rammed into his face and he was thankful that she was still on her knees so he didn't have to deal with any deadly kicks that she could have possibly delivered.

He didn't get a look at her face, although she had quite a bit of hair, it seemed. Long, straight hair. He noticed that the smoke was starting to dissipate. When he first turned into the courtyard and saw it, he flung the still packed picnic basked to the side and dived. He landed on her, to be truthful, accidentally. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face in that smoke! But now that it was starting to clear, he could see the outline of the Tardis and the bench that was next to it. Something was on the bench. The more the smoke cleared, the more his heart sank. There was a body on the bench.

"Rosemary!" He heard a voice call out. "Five minutes is up! If he's not here with the eggs, don't worry about it! He's young, he can come up! Rosemary!"

The Doctor looked at what was obviously now a woman's body on the bench. "Oh, Rosemary, he said quietly. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The area showed evidence of a struggle. One of the flower urns were knocked over, the colorful contents scattered across the courtyard floor, some of the flowers crushed and broken.

Once again, the people of Sandgel gathered around one of their own as she was discovered and cried over. The Doctor stood by the Tardis, a lump in his throat threatening to choke off his air supply at the sight of Rosemary's husband kneeling next to her, asking her to no to leave him alone. He could hear the fear in the man's voice, muffled when another man arrived in the courtyard and took him into his arms. From the desperate way the older man clung to the younger one, the Doctor assumed it was his son.

One of the younger onlookers went over to the urn, reaching out his hands as if to right it. "Sandja, don't touch that!" The voice of one of the women sharply cried out. "That's petal song." The young man abandoned his actions and looked over at the woman.

"I'll go get some gloves and clean it up before someone accidentally steps in it," he said.

"You do that – the last thing we need is another smoke cloud! Make sure you wash and change your clothes when you're done. Those plants have no business being so close to a dwelling, Sandja. Move the urns while you're at it, will you?" The woman called back. She then turned to the scene in front of the bench, and the tragedy that was in view.

Knowing that the family was together and would help each other, he turned and entered the Tardis, wearily putting the picnic basket in the galley and wondering at the turn this wonderful day had taken.

Peeling off his jacket, something fell to the floor and he reached over and picked it up. Turning it over in his hands, he saw that it was a white ribbon, still with a knot in the middle and – what's this? Some long, golden brown hairs stuck in the knot.

"Hello" he softly said. "I found you." He walked over to his equipment and put the hair in his analyzer. After pushing a couple of buttons, the display on screen confirmed that yes, it was a woman. Age undetermined. Race undetermined. Blood undetermined. Height 5'5". Weight 112. There was other miscellaneous readouts, but those were the important ones to string together a rough guideline on who he's looking for.

He thought back to his earlier conversation with Alexine, when he had asked her about the smoke. She said that she didn't recall hearing about it before. He wondered if maybe anyone else had. It was time to talk to the market people.

That afternoon saw the funeral for Aviaz taking place. The Doctor gathered with the townspeople, listening to their prayers and stories of Aviaz in different stages of his life. He smiled at the stories of him as a child, laughed at the stories of him as a young man, and cried at the stories of him getting married, becoming a father and one of the best tile men that the planet had. His tiles in the marketplace always brought the highest prices because of his beautiful workmanship. He died before he could pass his talent to his daughter, which was heartbreaking to the family. He watched Sissy, somber in her white tunic, matching ribbons in her hair, holding her mother's hand and looking down at her feet. She shouldn't be here, he thought. She should be in her beloved school, or trying to catch one of the chickens so she could feel its softness. She shouldn't be at her father's funeral, burying a man so unspeakably young.

After the funeral, they gathered in the courtyard for refreshments and grieving time. There were some men standing together in close proximity to the Tardis, talking softly. The Doctor approached them, and one moved over to make room for him in their circle. He listened to their conversation for some moments before joining in, wanting to be certain that he would be welcome. They were talking about the petal song flowers. They were extremely poisonous to the touch, and they were discussing if they should be destroyed or just moved somewhere away from the general population. All were in agreement that they would be destroyed, and a search was planned to make sure there were no more urns in the town.

They then turned the discussion to Sissy, and who would take her in for her apprentice. One of the men was having more difficulty dealing with his anger over the shortness of Aviaz's life. He hit his hand on the wall of the Tardis, exclaiming "This should not have happened! No one can figure out why – there was no marks on his body!" The Doctor felt that this opening was as good as any.

"Were you there in the market when Aviaz fell?" He asked the man.

"Yes. I saw you there, as well. You're a tile buyer, right?"

"Well, I'm a visitor, anyway. Did you notice smoke in the market that day?"

"Of course I saw the smoke! I'm not blind. There's always smoke."

At this, the Doctor straightened up and cautiously said "Always? Always when?"

"Always when someone dies. That's usually how we know what's happening because of the smoke. Then we wait for it clear to find out who it is."

"Does the smoke kill them?"

"No, no. Sometimes they die from an injury, sometimes from a sickness. And sometimes from nothing!" He spat on the ground, his anger coming through loud and clear.

"What does the smoke have to do with it then?" He prompted further.

One of the other men in the group answered. "The smoke hides the body so the soul can get free. If someone is looking upon the person when they die, their soul will be trapped forever in the corpse."

"What?" His voice rose a little in pitch, trying to deny his incredulity at the statement.

This time the oldest man in the group stepped forward. "Friend, we understand that you're a visitor. Our people have long witnessed the raising of the smoke to transition our dead. The sight of even a puff of smoke is enough to send our women into hysterics. We're at peace with it. We only have a problem with the lack of a cause of death for Aviaz."

"Do you think there was anything insidious about the death?" The Doctor hated to ask the question, but he felt that someone should.

"Insidious? As in do we think he was killed by an evil hand?" The man's head shook back and forth to announce his answer before his words could. "No, Aviaz was not killed. But that doesn't stop the anger over the lack of reason."

The Doctor had a lot to think about. The evening was about to announce the next chapter in the glorious serial of sunsets for the planet and the Doctor decided that the courtyard was a bit too crowded for his pleasure right then. He strolled down past the closed market stands, lacking any destination to aim for. He heard a racing set of feet come up behind him, and turned around just as Sissy launched herself at his legs. Her white tunic was smudged in places, her hair mussed and her face tear stained. She buried her face in his stomach, her arms around him tightly, and held on fiercely.

"Ok, Sissy. Let's sit down." He gently untangled her arms and picked her up, setting her down on one of the vendor tables. He jumped up next to her, putting his arm around her and letting her lean into him. "Rough day, huh?" He asked.

She looked up at him, her face turned upwards showing him her puffy eyes and dirty face. "Oi, you look a mess! Let's see what we can do about this." He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped the mess the best he could. He handed her the cloth, which she stared at in wonderment at the embroidered "D" that was placed prominently in the corner.

"This is beautiful!" She whispered.

"You think so?" He said, looking at it again with a new perspective. "I suppose it is!" He said, interjecting, albeit a bit forced, a slight sense of gaiety. "I traded that with a princess for a rock."

"A rock? Why did she want a rock?" Sissy asked, distracted for the moment.

The Doctor shrugged. "I guess she wanted the rock more than the handkerchief!" He answered.

Sissy giggled, which relieved the doctor tremendously to know that she was still capable of it. "Hey!" He exclaimed. "Who's to say which rock is important and which one is just a rock?"

"I would rather have this," she stated firmly.

"Then it is yours," he said.

"Really? Don't I have to trade something for it like the Princess did?"

"Do you want to?"

"Like the grown ups do! Yes! I'm grown now!" As she said this, the last remnants of her sadness temporarily left her face, and she became again an 8-year-old child, or a 96 moon old, depending on which measurement you used.

"Ok…what can you trade?" He asked, humoring her.

"Um….Oh, I know! How about a colored egg?" She asked excitedly.

Very surprised, the Doctor asked "Can you get one without getting into trouble for it?"

"Doctor!" Sissy squealed. "I have my own bird! I'll give you one of her eggs!"

With true sincerity, the Doctor faced Sissy, held out his hand to shake on the deal, and said "Sissy, I will be honored to trade with you."

She scrambled off the table, running down the road, saying, "Wait there, Doctor! I'll be right back!"

He spent a moment chuckling before turning his mind back to the events of the day. The Townspeople were ok with the smoke and the deaths that transpired within it. Knowing now that it wasn't a spirit that was inside the smoke, he couldn't let it rest. He still wasn't sure that this person, this female, wasn't actually causing the deaths. He wasn't sure where to go from here with his investigation, but he knew for certain that he wasn't finished yet.

He heard Sissy returning from where she had run off to, a small basket dangling from her hands. As she got closer, he saw straw packed around a bright red egg, about twice as large as a regular chicken egg.

"There was this one, Doctor. Is it ok?" She asked.

"Can you do without a red one?"

"Doctor, my bird always gives me red ones! They can only ever do one color. Look, I brought you her feather. See how soft it is?"

The Doctor picked up the feather and stroked it against his cheek. It was actually incredibly soft. "Yup, I see it! Thank you, Sissy. That was very thoughtful of you. I'll cherish it."

"I'm gonna show mama my cloth now! Bye Doctor!"

He watched her run and skip down the road, clutching the handkerchief in her hand. He noticed that her face had still been dirty, which defeated the entire purpose of pulling the handkerchief out to begin with. He shrugged. It's only a few short years where having a dirty face was ok – let her enjoy it.

He put the feather in his pocket, feeling the ribbon when he did so and pulling it out. He looked at it again, in the beams of the sunset, wondering whom it belonged to. Was she really the killer that she appeared to be? A killer who wears ribbons? Sissy had ribbons on today. He shuddered at the coincidence.

He glanced up at what was left of the light. A woman who wears ribbons. White ribbons. White smoke. White cloak. White hood. Why white? To be disguised better by the white smoke? She wants to be invisible. She's been successful; the townspeople don't even realize that she's involved. They think it's all smoke. How long has she been doing – whatever it is that she's doing? Where does she come from and where does she go afterwards? How is she able to move about without being seen? He shook his head to clear it. This was bringing up more and more questions, and none were being answered.

Tomorrow, thankfully, he would see Alexine again. Some calm in a storm. He started walking back to the courtyard, his mind relaxing and thinking about his morning with her. They had fun. She laughed, and he reveled in the fact that he made her laugh. They had moments of serious discussion, but steered away from those topics quick enough. It's too bad that she's alone, though. He wondered if she was as lonely as he was. Of course, she has neighbors and townspeople and – he stopped short, holding his breath.

She didn't know anything about the smoke. But everyone knew about the smoke.

She lied.


	6. Petal Song

Broken Hearts Still Beat

Chapter 6

Alexine left her bathing room refreshed and clean. She picked up her cloak and gave it a shake, trying to dislodge the lost hair ribbon. When it didn't materialize, she ran her hands through the folds of the hood before giving up and tossing it onto the chair, not seeing it slide down onto the floor behind the mirror. It was only a scrap of ribbon and wasn't important if she lost it because she had more.

Walking into the kitchen, she saw the pile of tea items she had deposited on the table earlier when she had left abruptly because she had been summoned.

She had a problem. She wouldn't allow herself to think about it while she was bathing, but the time was upon her to do so now.

It was obvious that the Doctor had got very close to her today. He didn't almost catch her - he caught her without question. Luckily, she landed on her side when she was tackled, and even with his weight on her was able to turn around so that her back was to him, denying him a view of her face. Had she landed on her back with him on top of her, it would have all been over. She had to stay away from him before she gave herself away. She thought back to the conversation they had shared that morning and how it had led to a couple of places that she hadn't planned on it going.

Not having had any practice with lengthy or flirty conversation, she was unprepared for his question on what she did with her days. Her cryptic answer, that she helps to find people and send them home, was too close to the truth. Her unwillingness to tell an outright lie warred with the necessity for discretion, and her lack of experience with social situations did not warn her in advance that there was a chance that particular question would be asked. She felt that she had done well in deflecting any further intrusions into areas that she couldn't talk about, although she had issued some comments that upon reflection she wished she could take back. Did she have to tell him she was alone, or that she couldn't remember her family or that she was not able to enjoy her travels? For that matter, why did she tell him she traveled? A simple no would have ended that part of the discussion and would not have left her second-guessing her every response.

But oh how she had laughed. Never before had she ever imagined that someone could be so funny! His recital of the opera singer was - even now in the midst of danger such as she had never experienced before, a memory to smile over. She wanted more of it. This must be what the influence of drugs is like – the euphoria followed by the immediate need for more.

This drug, however, this Doctor – it had to end. She couldn't risk any further exposure. He was dangerous to her! She resolved that it was over and there would be no meeting the next morning. She scooped up the items off the table and started placing them back in the cupboards from where they had originated. When finished, she went outside to try to find peace in the evening routine of watching the sunset. When the brilliant colors dancing across the sky failed to soothe her, she gave into the tears that had been threatening to spill since she arrived home and allowed herself to feel the grief that seemed to emanate from her heart.

After a restless night filled with dreams that left her pillows wet with yet more tears, Alexine awoke with a headache. She felt heavy, as if something was physically holding her down. The dreams dissipated upon the opening of her eyes, yet their resonance left her with a depression that was unknown to her. She shakily got up and after dressing automatically, went to fetch some tea that would hopefully help her to feel better. While she was waiting for it to steep, she placed her hands on the table and hung her head. It hurt. The decision that she made the night before hurt her. The last time she felt despondent was after she first woke up in the cottage, but even then it was different than this. This felt hopeless. There was no anger or rage, just pain.

She sipped her tea, hoping the medicinal properties of the herbs would help her headache. She felt a stinging of the heat from the cup resting against her palm, and turned her hand over to examine the abrasions from the day before. They were red and angry looking, and she thought they may have become infected. Placing her cup down, she saw that both hands in fact looked that way. Walking into the bedroom, she peered at her face and saw that it had made out better. While the abrasions were still there, the skin was dry and appeared healthy. The sunburn was reduced to just a streak across the bridge of her nose, mocking her memories of the day before with its fading.

Alexine went to her books and found the medical tome that she sometimes referred to when small injuries occurred. She didn't remember ever being actually sick, but sometimes she would pinch a finger or scrape an elbow and found relief in the advice of the book. According to the book, she had probably become infected from the toxins in the dirt on the courtyard floor. The pictures matched what was on her palms and the accompanying text assured her that it should heal on its own. The text ended with a caution that if a fever developed, then a doctor should be consulted immediately. There were some toxins that originated from other organic matter that could enter the bloodstream from abrasions, and that situation could very quickly become life threatening.

She didn't feel well at all and looked at her bed longingly. There was no reason for her not to lie down again. The cloak was put up, and there was nothing that had to be done this morning that couldn't wait. She had slept so terribly earlier that she just needed some more sleep. She crawled back onto the bed, dragging the blanket over her and sighing as she burrowed down into the pillows. Outside her window, the sun rose slowly, chasing away the last of the early morning glow with its brilliance.

She woke up hours later to a thumping that wouldn't stop. It beat in her head wildly and the pain it caused burrowed deeper and deeper into her psyche. Slowly she rolled over and tried to push herself up, but when she put weight on her hands the pain exploded and forced her to collapse back into her pillow. She turned onto her side and held her palms up. There was no question about an infection now. Both palms were laced with swollen purple gouges that had an undeniable yellowish tinge around the edges. This was the toxic reaction that the book had cautioned about! Her head hurt beyond what she could function with, and she rolled up into a ball, sobbing weakly and shivering against the fever that had claimed her. "I need a doctor," she thought to herself. Wincing against the light, she opened her eyes a crack and looked for her cloak. She had to get to the Doctor. He said he would help her if she ever needed it. The cloak for once remained elusive. Normally it was on the foot of her bed or folded on the chair next to the mirror, both of which were in her view and both of which were empty.

Slightly delirious with her fever, Alexine started whispering to herself "I want my Doctor. Please, I just want my Doctor. Let me go to him, I promise not to tell. I need my Doctor."

Two things happened at the same time, neither of which Alexine was aware of. On the floor behind the mirror, the cloak glowed brightly and disappeared. And Alexine herself lost solidity and faded until her bed was left alone in her room, empty and quiet.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

The Doctor was working in the Tardis, distracting himself from what he felt was an out of proportion disappointment from the lack of appearance by Alexine that morning. He was warring with himself for the cause of the disappointment. After all, he just wanted to talk to her some more about the smoke. That was all. Oh, sure, it was her turn to bring tea and she stood him up, but the disappointment was only in the lost opportunity for the interview. He banged on the resisting hinge that he was trying to loosen. The Tardis was older than the Face of Boe, it seemed, and was always needing tweaking and tinkering to keep it running. The hinge was a convenient excuse to hit something, driving his frustration with a physical act.

This has nothing to do with her smile. Or her eyes. Or the way she glanced at him over the rim of her teacup, smiling behind it at his wittiness. It had nothing to do with her voice, tinkling with laughter or catching when he said something surprising. His hammer paused in mid air and as the Doctor allowed his memories to form, he was unaware of the grin on his face as he visualized her holding her stomach while she laughed.

The hammer dropped as his fingers unwittingly loosened their grip, and the Doctor gave a small start as his memory evaporated. "She lied to me" he reminded himself out loud. "That's never good."

He crawled about, looking for the hammer when just in front of him, a large object appeared, turning from a vaporous substance to solid form in the blink of an eye. He sat back on his heels, catching his breath and his balance in the same instant.

It was as if his memories summoned her. She lay before him on the floor of the Tardis, her tangled hair spread out about her, her tunic wrinkled and her feet bare. He scrambled over to her, brushing her hair away from her face. She was not awake. Her face was wet, and felt – hot! Becoming alarmed, he pushed against her shoulder gently, rolling her over to her back. The fading evidence of her sunburn seemed redder against her pale face. Somewhere she had picked up a bruise on her face, with a mild abrasion healing on her cheek. He flattened his palm against her forehead, and with dread realized the truth of the shape she was in. He scooped her up in his arms, wishing that he wasn't quite so scrawny as he strained against her slight weight. Carefully choosing his footing, he brought her into the closest bedchamber, which was just off the main control room. Placing her down with deliberate movements, he fetched some water and a cloth to try to cool her down.

"Oh, Alexine. What did you do to yourself?" He asked her quietly as he went to work. He blotted the cool cloth against her forehead, cheeks and started working down her exposed arms, taking her hand in his and turning it over so he could wipe the inside of her arms. He immediately saw the problem and jumped up. "What did you do?" He asked again.

He stood for a moment, weighing his options. He was pretty sure that the people of Sandgel were human like in their physiology, but couldn't be positive. Bending over her, he broke off one of her hairs to analyze so he would know what she needed. He also took a small swab and swiped it across her palm. Rushing it to the control room, he placed the swab in the machine.

The panel quickly flashed information. There were toxins from the petal song flower present. He paused in his reading, wondering at the coincidence that it was just yesterday that he learned about the petal song flowers and their life threatening properties.

Five minutes later, the Doctor was still in the same position, staring at the screen. Both of his hearts had dropped into his stomach as the analysis on the screen matched line for line the one he took yesterday on the hair from the ribbon. He knew where the injuries came from. And there was no coincidence.

Much subdued, he went back into the bedchamber with the herbs that the analysis said would draw the toxins out of her blood. The herbs were simple and common, but had to be administered topically as well as internally for the cure to take effect. As he wrapped the medical cloth around the wounds, he stared at her face, willing her to wake up and explain what had to be a mistake. Her gentle persona, her beautiful face – were they just disguises for a killer? Now he knew why she didn't appear that morning.

He stayed at her side for hours, taking turns staring at her face and staring at the opposite wall, not allowing himself to think about what could have been. He didn't know what he should do. Even if she is the person responsible for the appearance of the smoke and the subsequent deaths, did he have the authority to sentence her? The people of Sandgel accepted the situation and embraced it as part of their culture. Did he have the right to interfere with that? But how could he allow it to continue?

Alexina stirred, and the Doctor reached down to check her fever. It was going down. He couldn't help but to stroke a gentle caress down her still warm cheek. Her presence stirred him as none other had done in such a long time. Even knowing what she was, he found himself drawn to her beauty and her presence. He abruptly stood and looked down at her before leaving the room for the first time in hours. Entering the control room, he saw Sissy's basket with the precious egg inside of it. He just couldn't do it. He couldn't release that monster back into Sissy's world. He may be damned for it, but he refused to do it.

With his anger rising up in him, the Time Lord strode over to his controls and pushed a lever. The familiar whir of the engines started. Working the control panel with practiced efficiency, he took the Tardis, and its dangerous cargo, off of the surface of Sandgel and steered it away from the peaceful planet.


	7. The Time Lord

Broken Hearts Still Beat

A/N Just a reminder – this story is O/C. The Tardis may have some embellishments that have never been mentioned in cannon, and the Doctor may not respond to every situation as you may think he should. Apologies in advance if anyone is upset by my changes.

My further apologies to the astronomers that may be reading this. My positioning of our pink planet was artistic license.

Doctor Who and the Tardis still don't belong to me.

Chapter 7

The Doctor choose a place in space to dock the Tardis while he tended to Alexine's wounds and fever, and to decide what he should do about her. His leave taken of Sandgel was admittedly abrupt, fueled by his anger, which had dissipated now that he had made his decision and taken the action to remove her from the planet.

From time to time, he entered the bedchamber to check on her. He was patient with her convalescence as he spooned fluids into her mouth and did his best to cool her. Her hands were healing quickly as the herbs drew out the toxins. She stayed asleep, unresponsive to his presence except for when he touched her face, when she seemed to lean in just a bit to his touch.

After the first 24 hours, she seemed to be over the worst of it. Her breathing was calm compared to the labored breathing of her first hours aboard the Tardis. She appeared to be sleeping peacefully now, no longer restless or muttering incoherent words as she did earlier. The Tardis was quiet, without the Doctor's usual music blaring from the console, or his constant chattering that he had a habit of doing, without regard to anyone else's presence. The time instead was spent in careful silence, as if any noise would break the tenuous hold that the Doctor had put on his decisions.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Alexine stretched lazily as she woke up. She felt stiff but well rested. She remembered the pounding in her head from the last time she woke and was not willing to risk opening her eyes until she could take a further catalog of her current state. She reached up to brush her hair out of her face, her eyes flying open of their own accord when she felt the bandages that covered her hands. "What the…" she muttered. Eyes now open, she very quickly sat up with alarm registering on her face, as her peculiar surroundings were made known to her.

She was in a strange bed with bandages attached to her hands and after a quick peek under the covers to confirm what her skin had already felt; she was also in a strange nightdress. She heard a low hum all around her but no other sounds.

She climbed down from the bed and cautiously approached the door, opening it slowly and peeking out before letting it release completely. She slipped into the hallway and warily headed towards the hum that seemed to be coming from the room off the end of the hall. She saw the Doctor then, his back towards he but easily recognizable from his build. Her prior decision to never see him again was quickly forgotten when her heart gave an extra beat at the sight of him.

Alexine looked about the large room without any recognition coming to her senses. He was watching a panel that was in front of him with dials and gauges, occasionally reaching over and touching one. He was intent in his concentration of his task, which gave her a couple of moments to trace the last few days, trying to lock on to how she arrived here with the Doctor. She remembered her hands and being sick but that was all.

Suddenly, as if he was alerted to her presence, the Doctor swung around to face her. "Alexine!" He said, a smile forming on his face. "You're up!"

"I am. Where am I?"

"Welcome aboard the Tardis, ma'am" he said as he bowed low to her. "We have all of the conveniences of any decent space going vessel. You have only to ask and our staff of – uh – one – will fulfill any and all of your wishes."

She giggled, immediately sinking into the comfort that his silliness brought. She curtseyed in response to his bow. "Sir, I am honored to be aboard the Tardis. But not sure how I got here."

Suddenly serious, he cocked his head to his side slightly. "What do you remember?"

"My hands were infected and my head hurt something horrible. I had tea and went back to bed. Wait – I remember too, I read a book about infections and it said I might be having a toxic reaction to some flowers. That's it, that's all I remember."

"And how did you get here again?" He prompted.

"I honestly don't know" she said, a troubled frown appearing on her face. She thought to herself that the Doctor couldn't have brought her here because he couldn't have possibly known where she had been. "Did I come in the front door?"

"No" he answered without elaboration.

A familiar panic was beginning to build in her. "I can't remember!" She moaned. Then with a whisper "not again".

He moved quickly to her, grabbing her arms and looking at her intently. "What do you mean, not again?"

"I've had other times in my life that I can't remember. I told you about them."

"But have you had blackouts before?"

"No"

He let go of her arms then, and stepped back. "Well, we'll make the best out of the situation then."

"Where are we?"

"I think I'll let you see for yourself. I have a surprise for you. Come here." He gestured towards a panel that opened when he flipped a switch. It was a window that showed a pink tinted planet in front of them. Alexine could see swirls of clouds crossing the planet and white caps on the mountains that reached for them from the surface.

"It's beautiful"

"It's your pink planet from your Mountain Constellation. I thought it would be as good a place as any to dock."

"My planet!" She exclaimed in wonderment, her anxiety of a moment ago vanished. "Oh, Doctor, thank you!" She turned and threw her arms around him, her spontaneity taking him by surprise. She just as quickly let him go. "You told me that you travel, but I didn't realize! It's wonderful!"

"Alexine, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"Much better, thank you. I take it you patched me up?" She said, holding up her bandaged hands.

He took one of her hands in his and started gently tugging off the bandage. "Well, I am The Doctor" he said. He unwrapped her hand and they both examined the results of his attention. The abrasions were mostly healed with no trace of infection visible. She flexed her fingers trying them out, and happily reported that everything was working normally. As she unwrapped her other hand herself, he began a report on his duties of the past few days.

"When I saw how sick you were, I had to bandage your hands to keep the herbs against your skin. You were running a high fever because of the infection, but I kept you as cool as I could and it ran its course. I had to spoon liquids into you as well. Other than that, you more or less healed yourself." His report came to an end, but her questions just began.

"Who changed me?"

"Oh, that would be the ward nurse" He said.

"Where is she?"

"Seems to have disembarked while you were asleep" he answered cheekily. He winked at her.

Alexine's face burned for a moment when she realized that he himself had changed her. She reasoned that it couldn't have been helped, and besides, like he said, he is The Doctor! Although….she looked at him from the corner of her eyes. She didn't think he was that kind of Doctor.

"Would you like to change back into your regular clothes?"

"Please, yes" she responded, unwilling at the moment to ask any further questions.

He led her back to the bedchamber and showed her the closet where her clothes were stored. He showed her the bathing chamber, where he had a hairbrush and toothbrush sitting on the counter waiting for her use. After just a few minutes, she felt more like herself and rejoined him, her hair brushed and hanging loose down her back. Her feet were wearing a pair of slippers that she found in the closet with her now clean tunic. She re-entered the control room.

The Doctor looked up at her and smiled in greeting. "Now you look more like yourself! Wait, I have something of yours that you may need." At that, he reached into his pocket and casually pulled out her missing hair ribbon, studying her face as he held it out to her.

"Oh, thanks! I wondered where I had lost that!" She took it out of his hand, immediately reaching behind her head to gather her hair.

"You're not going to believe where I found that" he said.

"Stuck in the picnic basket?"

"No"

She thought she picked up a change in tone with the short word and looked up at him with a question that died on her lips at the severe look on his face. Gone was the teasing look and the casual stance. In its place was a different person, one she had never seen before. She felt a jolt of fear travel down her spine.

"I found it after you killed the old woman in the courtyard."

Alexine's hands fell down to her side as she stood there in shock. She felt unable to move as her stomach twisted in a knot and her blood rushed out of her face. Her throat worked to swallow the blockage that suddenly appeared. She felt like she couldn't breathe and would choke on the lump. All she could do was stare at him, panic evident in her eyes. Her mouth opened and closed several times, trying to find a word that would work in the moment, but failing.

"I liked Aviaz. And Sissy loved him. You didn't see her cry." His voice became firmer, all trace of friendliness a remote memory. His eyes were flashing with energy. "You were busy running away like a coward from what you had done. I SAW you, Alexine," his voice boomed.

"You don't know what you saw," she whispered in fear. She was finally able to get her voice to work. She raised her head and looked him in his eyes. She witnessed his anger, knowing that it was directed at her. She also saw something else in his eyes. Pain. Disappointment. Also directed at her. She was terrified of him. Her entire body was trembling, bracing itself for his vengeance.

"Tell me then. I'm listening," he said with a dangerous edge to his voice.

"It's a long story. There are things about me that you don't know. And they're not what you may think," she said to prepare him.

"There are things about me that you don't know either," he said, his eyes narrowing. "Don't worry about how much time it takes." Sarcasm dripped from his speech. " I have all the time in the world. I'm a Time Lord."


	8. Understanding

Broken Hearts Still Beat

A/N: I checked just now to see if I was able to obtain ownership of Doctor Who. Nope, still not mine. Damn.

My apologies to the astronomers that may be reading this. My positioning of our pink planet was artistic license

Chapter 8

"What's a Time Lord?" Alexine asked, thrown for a moment by his statement.

"You're the one talking right now. You owe the explanations. Not me." His demeanor was not softening. He crossed his arms in front of him and waited.

Alexine stood there, absolutely still, staring at this strange person in front of her. His stance was extremely threatening, and she responded with trembles that were rooted deep in her body. Her brain kicked into overdrive, desperately trying to find a way out of this confrontation. She couldn't leave the Tardis because they were in space and even if she had her cloak on her, she didn't know if it would work from this distance. She didn't think any distractions would work. No, she was alone and had to handle the defection of his regards and come clean. Closing her eyes tight, she took a deep breath and began, hoping that her courage would come back.

"I told you before that I don't remember things from my earlier life. I meant that. I don't know where I came from and I don't know anything about my parents. I woke up one day and that's where my memories start. I was already an adult, alone in a cottage in the desert with no awareness of what was before at all or how I got there."

She looked down at her feet as she continued her story. "I spent years yelling and screaming and crying. I couldn't find my way out of the desert! I would hike until I was near death, and several times I barely made it back to my cottage. There was nothing around me. I never saw another person or even an animal. The only living things other than me were some plants and an occasional beetle. In the morning when I woke up, the cupboards would be stocked with anything I could need. No one ever came, though. I spent many nights waiting up, thinking I could 'catch' whoever it was that was my benefactor and jailer. I would sit in the kitchen with the cupboards open and stare at them without blinking all night. The items always appeared, and never any other way except to just appear."

"I can't remember how many years I was there until the next important thing happened. Books appeared. One morning, there were shelves full of them. I was so happy that I had something to do! I read every book from cover to cover, some of them numerous times. More years passed, but I'm not sure how many. If I had to guess, I would say – ten?"

Alexine never looked up, so she didn't see the Doctor's head jerk up at the realization that time – or something – had played games with Alexine. The Doctor's anger started to melt. She didn't appear old enough to have had so many years that she already accounted for in her story. There was something powerful at work here.

She continued her narrative. "As I read and studied, the anger and sadness that I felt earlier began to subside. I started feeling that I was being led to a purpose, and wanted, to be honest, to get there. My solitude in the desert was beginning to settle into me, and I didn't yearn so intently for more than that in my life.

I can look back on what I know about my life and realize that all of the important events happened for me in the morning. Or, they happened during the night and I discovered them in the morning. It doesn't matter. One day I woke up, and there was this white cloak. It was on the foot of my bed. In the past, when clothes appeared, they showed themselves in a draw or closet. This time it was in the open, as if to make sure that I saw it immediately."

Alexine started pacing the control room at this point, unable to stay still while reliving the memories and emotions as she told the Doctor about Sybil. His anger now forgotten, he stayed quiet and still during her monologue, fascinated by her story and unwilling to interrupt her for even a moment. She continued her pacing and her story.

She spoke of the times she wandered in the desert in an attempt to lose the cloak. About burning it, trying to cut it up, and her frustration that she couldn't be rid of it. And every time that she picked it up, every time that the hood was drawn over her head, someone died. And she couldn't stop it. She became very emotional, crying as she was talking, relieved that for the first time she could tell her story. The Doctor felt a horror building in his chest when he realized what she had gone through.

"Doctor, I tried, I swear I did." Her eyes turned to him for a moment, and his heart turned over when he saw the pleading in them. She was begging him to understand, and he felt that he was beginning to. She turned away again and began anew: "Once I appeared before a young child who had just fallen into the pit that the Sandgels dug to mine the clay they used for their tiles. All of the workers had gone home for the day, and he was alone and crying." She paused in her pacing, but was facing sideways so the Doctor only saw her in profile. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Her voice lowered almost to the point of being imperceptible. "He had a long spike impaled through his stomach. It was so horrible." She stared into the distance, as if seeing again the awful scene.

The Doctor resisted the urge to pull her to him and to hold her. His anger was replaced by compassion and an instinctual urge to end her pain. He recognized her trauma, that began when she had first picked up that cloak, and now needed to be exorcised through the telling of her story. For both of their sakes.

"I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if the rules still applied for children. I fought it, I really did. I wanted to save him." Her voice was now trembling with the effort to continue speaking while she was crying. "I thought if I removed the spike and stopped the bleeding that I could keep him alive long enough for someone else to find him. I started talking to him. He was 74 moons old and he had a brother who was older." Her sobs were now making it difficult for him to understand what she was saying. "His name was Jared. His father was going to get him his own color bird when he turned 80 moons old. He was going to name it Butch." She started gasping with breath, hysteria raising her voice to a higher pitch, causing her to speak louder now and faster. I kneeled down next to him and the smoke rose. I screamed 'not yet!' desperately trying to buy some time. I pulled the spike out and his blood poured out the hole. I blocked it with my hand, and it came out of his mouth instead. He was drowning in it! I couldn't stop it from happening!"

The Doctor jumped as her scream rendered through the air.

"I was so desperate to save him, but everything I did made it worse. We were both covered in blood, both were crying. Then suddenly it became quiet. Jared had stopped crying, and all I heard were my own sobs."

She abruptly stopped, still facing away from him, but the Doctor sensed that she was no longer even aware that he was in the room. "He looked at me, with his sweet face and his brown eyes full of tears. He smiled a little and told me that it was OK. He comforted me! He put his chubby little hand on my cheek and told me that he wanted to go home. Oh My Lord!" She screamed again, falling to her knees, doubled over with her pain.

Even though the Doctor had insisted that she had to do this, he was beginning to wish that it didn't have to happen. He felt tears form in his own eyes as he witnessed her retelling of the horror that she lived through.

"I put my hand on his cheek, and the other on his chest." Her sobs now made it very difficult for her to continue, but she fought for each word that she now spit out of her mouth. "I told him 'Jared, he loves you. He's waiting for you to come home. It's time to go.'"

For the first time, the Doctor interrupted with a question. "How did you know to say those words?" His voice was soft.

She spat out in anger and disgust "Because that was what Sybil taught me to say. And it works. And Jared closed his eyes and died. That beautiful, precious little boy died, the last thing he thought of was the bird that he would never have. I stood up, which was what prompts me to re-appear in my bedroom. I fell to my knees and retched over and over again until my very insides were in danger of turning inside out. All I could think about was that little boy dieing in that pit, all alone, with no one to hold him."

She suddenly became deathly still.

Her voice once again reduced to a whisper, Alexine continued. "And that was when it finally dawned on me. He wasn't alone. I was there. I held him. I told him he was loved. I told him to go on, that he was waited for." Her voice again resumed its normal level, although all emotion was noticeably absent after the maelstrom of the past hour. "That's my job, it's what I do. I didn't kill Jared. I saved him. I took him out of his body to stop the pain." Kneeling on the floor, her face wrecked with her spent emotions, she turned her face up to the Doctor. "I didn't kill Aviaz. The vein in his brain burst. That's why he had no injuries and it was so sudden. I took him away before the pain could destroy his memories."

"It was an aneurism then, he said softly. That explains a lot."

She nodded sadly at him.

"And all this time you've been doing this incredible thing, and you've been all alone."

She nodded again.

The Doctor kneeled on the floor facing her. "Oh, Alexine. I'm so sorry. Come here." At that he took her in his arms and held her face to his shoulder while she sobbed and shuddered. After a moment, her arms lifted up and surrounded him as well, and she held on tight. She held on for all she was worth, and for the first time in her life, Alexine had someone else to share her tears with, for the Doctor's fell on her hair just as fast as hers fell on the Doctor. They kneeled on the floor together, clinging to each other for a long time.

It was much afterwards when it dawned on Alexine that the moment was the first time she ever experienced being held.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

The next morning, after Alexine and the Doctor both rested from their ordeals, they met in the galley. Alexine had puttered about and had made a pot of tea.

"Oi! Finally I get my tea!" The Doctor gently teased, testing her state of mind.

"I'm sorry about that" Alexine answered, chagrined. "I forgot that I stood you up."

"Well, you were sick, so you get an excuse card." He quipped back. "But you know we have more to talk about, right?" His demeanor was serious but gentle.

"I do have more things to tell you," she said.

"And I do as well" he answered.

"Maybe we can do it without the screaming and the crying this time?" She asked good-naturedly.

"Well, I'll try, but I can't promise I won't scream at least a little."

She paused in her movement of fixing her cup of tea, looking at him and seeing again the humor in his eyes. She was very grateful to see it return. "Is it your turn to talk this time?"

"I've been waiting a long time to talk to someone, Alexine" he answered. "Would you like to take a walk while we talk?"

She looked about the galley. "Where?"

"On your pink planet, of course! You have got to stop traveling to places without stopping to experience new things! Doctors orders!"

"We're going down there?" She stammered nervously.

The Doctor stood up and held his hand out to her. "It's time to run with the Doctor, Alexine. We'll have fun, you'll see."

Nervously, she placed her hand in his, intuitively believing again that it was a safe place to be.

……………………………………………………………………..

A/N Are you still there?


	9. The Pink Planet

Broken Hearts Still Beat

Chapter 9

The Doctor ushered Alexine to the captain's chair in the control room and told her to stay put. She watched with fascination as he danced around the panel, pushing levers and twirling dials that made no sense to her. He left the window panel open, so she was able to observe the display of the planet reaching up to meet them. Soon she could no longer see the entire sphere in the window.

The Tardis landed with an indiscernible bump on the planet's surface. The Doctor consulted his panel.

"We're ok. We can breath the air without any problem. The temperature is warm, but you should be used to that. Let me see your shoes."

Alexine lifted her foot up, and the Doctor turned around and grabbed it between his knees, examining the bottom of her slipper. "That won't do at all," he said. "We need you in something a little sturdier to go walking."

He led her through the Tardis, up a long winding metal staircase to an area that had racks of clothes and accessories. He held out his hand after asking her for her slippers, and started picking up different footwear, holding it against her slipper until he was satisfied with his find.

"Sit down on that bench," he gestured with his head. He looked at her, a grin on his face that she was beginning to associate with mischief. "Let's play Cinderella."

"What's Cinderella?" She asked.

"Not what, who! You don't know? Well, I guess you wouldn't. Remind me one night when we're bored to tell you about her. But for now, my lady, may I have your foot please?" He kneeled on one knee in front of her and patted the one remaining upright. Alexine placed her foot where he indicated. He had a shoe that was white and covered the whole foot. It had little holes up the front of it with thick strings weaved in and out of the holes. He tightened the strings before tying them into a bow.

While he was giving her feet his attention, her thoughts were on what he had just said. Remind him one night when they were bored. She wondered how many nights she would have with him. Her eyes were twinkling with excitement at the thought of the adventure they were about to enter. He truly was a drug. And she was getting hooked.

"What are those?" She asked, standing up and bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet, experimenting with the sponge like feel of the footwear.

"Trainers," he said. "They're perfect for running about. You'll see."

He opened the doors of the Tardis with a flourish and taking her hand, they stepped outside onto the soil of the planet. Her heart beating wildly and her face flushed with exhilaration, Alexine looked about her at the strange landscape.

They were in a meadow with knee high delicate looking grass. It was colored a muted green, with white wispy tops on the stalks. Off to one side, there was a slope with larger vegetation shading the ground. The sky was actually tinted pink! The surface, though, was covered with green vegetation. She sniffed, and smiled at the pleasantness of the sweet air.

The Doctor kneeled down, poking between the grass stalks and bringing up some soil pinched between his fingers. He touched his tongue to it, closing his eyes in concentration, as he tasted it.

"What is it?" Alexine asked.

"I was just seeing if it tasted like strawberry," he said.

"Strawberry?"

"Something else for me to tell you about! I need to start a list."

He took her hand in his, and swinging their arms between them, he took off towards the slope. "Isn't this pretty?" He grinned that toothy smile of his, which had an infectious effect on Alexine.

"It's wonderful!" She exclaimed.

"I told you earlier that I wanted to talk. I want to tell you about Time Lords" he began.

As they walked about the meadow and explored the slope, the Doctor told Alexine a little about his past. She had a bit of a problem grasping his age – well over a thousand now of his years. When she did the math to figure out how many moons it represented, she stared at him, speechless. He had to convince her that he could travel across time as well as space, and he used the story of Pompeii and the honey to emphasize his point. He told her about the rules of interfering and the consequences of traveling to different dimensions. He carefully skirted the parts of the stories where companions were involved, unwilling to open that part of his heart up for examination just yet. After a while they sat on the slope overlooking the meadow where the Tardis sat peacefully, its blue a strange contrast to the green meadow.

"So you had to blow up the mountain and the town to stop the creatures?" She asked incredulously.

He looked at her with a haunted look on his face. "Twenty thousand souls were lost that day because of me."

She put her hand on his arm. "No. Not because of you."

"But don't you see? I pushed the button. I decided it had to be done."

"How long ago did this happen?" She asked.

"Well, historically wise, if I took today's date on your current calendar, and transitioned the vortex, having to adjust for the bend in the universe, mind you, and-"

Alexine interrupted. "No, you misunderstood. For you, when did this happen? Yesterday? Last moon?"

"Oh. For me. Let's see." His eyes looked up as he did a quick calculation in his head. He looked down again, his eyes meeting Alexine's. "About a hundred and ten years ago. For you, it would be over thirteen hundred moons."

She nodded her head. "That type of pain settles into a constant ache, doesn't it?" She softly said. "It never goes away."

He stared at her for a long time, speechless that for the first time ever he met someone that understood the consequences of the responsibility that he shouldered. "Never" he finally responded.

She squeezed his arm where her hand still rested, grateful that he had shared that much of himself with her.

"And now for you, Miss Alexine. I have a question." His voice, although not quite as serious as it had been, still had a weight to it that warned of its nature. "Tell me more about this cloak of yours."

"What do you want to know? I told you how I got it and that I can't get rid of it."

"You use the cloak when you need to appear somewhere outside of the cottage, right? You put it on, think of where you have to go and when you pull up the hood then poof – you're there?"

"That sums it up, yes," she answered.

"Then Alexine…how did you get on my ship?"

She stared at him for a moment, the meaning of his question slamming into her brain with the speed of a meteor. "Wasn't I wearing the cloak?"

"Nope, no cloak" he replied.

She thought of it for a bit and realized for the first time that she didn't remember seeing the cloak since she took it off after arriving home following Rosemary's death. "I don't know," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully. "I was sick and I was pretty emotional." She closed her eyes, as if blocking out the meadow before her would help her memory. "I thought of putting the cloak on, but I didn't see it. I was just calling for you, saying your name and the next thing I remember, I woke up on the Tardis."

"You were able to appear without the cloak, Alexine. That could come in handy one day." The Doctor saw that she wasn't listening to him at that moment.

She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she looked up at the Doctor, her eyes opened wide. "It's gone! The cloak is gone! It let me leave!" Her heart beat with excitement and her face became flushed. "Doctor! It's gone!" She screamed. She launched herself forward towards him, throwing her arms around him and knocking them both to the ground. She was laughing and crying at the same time.

He laughed with her, standing and pulling her up with him. He wrapped his arms around her back, lifted her up and twirled her around over and over until they both became dizzy and collapsed back onto the ground, out of breath but still grinning ear to ear. He rolled over onto his side, propping his head up on his elbow. He looked down at her, laying on her back in the grass, breathing hard and smiling that incredible smile of hers. He took a piece of grass and tickled her nose with it.

"You're going to have to find a new career now, you know" He teased.

"I can do anything, though, right?" She asked, as if seeking his permission.

"Well, I think you should take a vacation first, if you ask me."

Alexine suddenly remembered the wish she made the first night that she met the Doctor. "My wish" she said softly, reverently.

"What wish?" He asked.

"When you showed me the shooting star. I wished to be normal, and if I couldn't be normal, at least to have a vacation."

"One vacation, coming up!"

"You said that sometimes wishes come true but in a different way than we expected. That sometimes they give us what we need and not so much what we want. I remember it!"

"At least you didn't have to step off a mountain," he teased.

"Oh, no!" She said with a surprised gasp.

"What's wrong?"

"I left my equipment on the mountain!" She said with laughter in her voice.

"What mountain?"

"My cottage! Everything I have is in the cottage! And I can't even get back there now!" She jumped up, laughter bubbling out of her, and she threw out her arms and turned around and around, her face pointed towards the sky, uncaring that she had no clothes except the ones on her back, no books, nothing except the one thing she needed the most.

Her freedom.

……………………………………………………………………………………….

The Doctor leaned back, watching her celebrate her newfound independence. Her happiness was contagious, and he briefly thought back to the prior day, when she told him her story, and compared the despondency of the day before to the ecstasy that she was experiencing now. He really liked her. She understood him. She was intelligent, curious and had more compassion than anyone he had ever met.

She had no way to get home now. He supposed if he tried very hard, the Tardis could probably find the cottage in the desert. But if he brought her back there, would that cloak be waiting for her? He shuddered at the thought of sentencing her back to that life. She was safe with him. He could keep her here. He sat up abruptly at that thought. Keep her. On the Tardis. Should he?

He had made a rule. No more companions. He looked at her again, as she ran about like a child, reveling in her free will. She wouldn't have to attend any more deaths. She could stay with him, and he would show her everything. And she can show him some things, too. She already had. She showed him compassion, understanding, acceptance and more. But most of all, she showed him how to have a life of purpose again. His life was better because she was in it. And he wanted more.

In the end, it was much easier to break this rule than it was to make it. Besides, after more than 100 years, maybe it was just time to try again. Everything dies. Even rules. His mind made up, he interrupted her celebration.

"Alexine" he called.

She came over, flopping down on the grass next to him, still smiling. "Hmmm?"

"What will you do now?"

"Vacation, I thought we already decided!" She said with laughter.

"After that? Any plans?" He added casually. His heartbeats began to quicken, anxiety and excitement were mixed in their rhythm.

"No, I haven't got that far yet!" She exclaimed.

"Travel with me."

"To where?" She asked.

"Everywhere. Together. I'll show you everything. We'll dine in New New York, swim in the water nebula, watch shooting stars as they explode out of their suns. We'll meet kings and peasants, and witness the birth of planets."

"Can we listen to two headed opera singers?" She asked.

"Oh, yes. We'll definitely listen to two headed opera singers. Are you in?" He held his breath in anticipation of her answer.

"Ummmm….I don't know."

His smile dropped off his face.

"Well, I kind of had this thing in the desert. I was going to catalogue the rocks to keep track of them. Then I was going to sweep the sand to make sure it stayed neat. OF COURSE I'LL COME!" She screamed.

"Don't ever do that again!" He moaned.

They both sat back, satisfied with their day and started planning their first trip.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

They spent the entire day on the planet, exploring, talking and behaving like children with their carefree thoughts. They never saw another living being on the planet during the day they spent there. It was just the Doctor and Alexine and their amazing pink planet, the only important things at that moment in all of creation.

Even perfect days come to an end, and this one proved that fact when the dusk descended first over the slope and finally the meadow itself. Holding hands, they hiked back towards the Tardis, their steps slower with their depleted energy.

"I could use some ice cream" the Doctor said.

"Something else that I don't know what it is. What do you do with it?" Alexine replied.

The Doctor stopped in his tracks, causing her hand to pull from his. He put a hand over his face in an exaggerated display of frustration. "Oi! I have to teach you EVERYTHING! I thought you knew SOME things!"

Alexine was in too good of a mood to let his teasing be misconstrued. "Nope, you'd better start at the beginning. What is ice cream?"

"Some things can be taught, others must be experienced. Come with me." Again he held out his hand to her, and they entered the Tardis together. After making sure the door was closed behind him, he led her into the galley and pulled out a chair for her. He bustled about, pulling a spoon out of a drawer and pausing in front of it. His well-worn mischievous smile once again appeared. "You have to be blindfolded."

"What?" She squealed.

"Trust me. No sight."

"Can't I just close me eyes?"

"Nope. I don't trust you!" he ignored her snort at those words, and pulled a scarf out of the drawer. Returning to where she sat, he loosely tied it around her eyes, rendering her incapable of seeing what he was doing. "Don't move," he warned.

His reward was a giggle, which was greeted with his own smile. He went to the cold storage and selected a tub of chocolate ice cream. He scooped some into the bowl, and after returning the tub, he sat down in front of her, straddling a chair backwards as he rested his arms on the back of the chair. "Open your mouth," he said. He scooped up some of the treat in the spoon, but paused for a moment just before placing it in her mouth. The sight of her sitting there, her beautiful face turned up towards him, an expectant look on her face stirred him deeply. He felt a skip in his pulse before shaking his head slightly and continuing on with his play.

Obeying his command, Alexine partly opened her mouth. She figured since they were in the galley and he had removed a spoon from the drawer prior to blindfolding her that ice cream was something you ate. She felt the spoon touch her lips and closed them over the contents. Never in her wildest dreams was she prepared for the sensation of cold and sweet that assaulted her mouth. "Oh!" She exclaimed.

The Doctor sat there, watching the expression on her face. She had physically jumped when the coldness registered, and then he swore she almost melted when the sweetness hit her taste buds. "Alexine, meet chocolate ice cream. Ice cream, meet Alexine. I have a feeling you two will be good friends." He chuckled at the look of ecstasy that crossed her face.

She reached up and ripped the blindfold off, eagerly reaching for the bowl in his hands. "Mine, gimme!" was all she could stutter.

He lost it then. He threw his head back and laughed – the kind of belly laugh that leaves you gasping for breath and sore afterwards. She ignored him, intent on figuring out what this ice cream was all about.

He stood up, preparing to leave the galley and go to the control room. "I think I know where our first trip will be," he said.

"Uuummph," was all that was heard from Alexine.

Eyes twinkling, the Doctor replied: "Earth. 1950's. When ice cream was still hand packed by sodajerks and banana splits weren't considered evil. We're going to Earth!"

Alexine waved her hand at the Doctor. "Go away. I'm having an out of body experience and I want to be alone with Mr. Chocolate."

His laughter was heard echoing through the Tardis as he walked away. This was going to be a fantastic trip!

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Alexine's bag sat back in the cottage in her closet, the cloak folded neatly inside of it. The cottage was quiet, silently standing while the sun and moons went through their cycles, waiting for the day that it would appear again. Soon.

……………………………………………………………………………………………


	10. Pranis

Broken Hearts Still Beat

Chapter 10

"One of the things that you have to do is to dress like the locals. When we're just here, you can wear whatever you want. But that tunic and those slippers are going to look very strange on Earth."

Alexine stepped back as the Doctor rummaged through a huge room filled with colorful costumes and artifacts stuffed in every conceivable space. She saw upside down hats being used as buckets to hold slippers and scarves, and gaily-covered wigs perched on boots. "Do you dress like the locals Doctor?" She asked.

The Doctor paused in his rummaging and looked at her, his face screwed in a goofy grin that caused a giggle to escape from Alexine.. "Nope! I'm a bloke – no one cares what we look like. They only look at the girls."

"You just wear that same outfit?" It dawned on her just then that except for a dressing gown at first waking in the mornings, she never saw him in anything else. Even though it was just them, he always wore that tie.

"This old thing?" He said, pulling on his jacket. He winked. "Well, what else would I wear? Although to be honest" he paused with a conspired look on his face "sometimes I wear a coat and gloves if it's cold." He winked at her. "Here we go!" He pulled out a long pink skirt with a fuzzy picture of a ridiculous looking animal with curly fur sewn onto it. With it, he handed her a voluminous article of a stiff, loose weave. "Crinoline", he said. "It goes under. Don't ask why, just figure it out." He head disappeared as he pushed his upper body into a box, tossing clothing out at her feet. "This will do!" He handed her a knit garment with long sleeves. "Poodle skirt, saddle shoes and two piece sweater set. The ultimate 50's girl outfit!"

Alexine looked at the clothing with horror. "I have to – what? How do I – I can't –" she couldn't get past her stuttering to form a coherent sentence.

"Two words. Ice cream."

She glared at him. "If I'm the only one dressed like this, I'm going to kill you!"

"No you won't. I have the keys to the Tardis" He grinned.

After wrestling with the crinolines and the skirt, during which she invented some new curses, Alexine walked into the control room, poodle skirt properly adorning her body. "I need help with these shoes, please Doctor" she said.

The Doctor looked up from his control panel, his face lighting up at the sight of her "Wow! You look fantastic! Just perfect for the 50's. Too bad you need to change back."

"Huh?"

"I just got a message. There's a man that helped me many years ago. His name is Pranis. He's asked me to come and negotiate a treaty between his planet's people and some others who are attempting to mine its resources to take off world. There's trouble and there's been violence. The leaders have both agreed to work with a mediator, and he's asked me to step in."

"Why you?" She said, walking up to the panel and trying to decipher the shapes and lines that made up the message.

"I've done it before for other planets. Pranis was with me during one particularly tough negotiation. If it weren't for him I wouldn't be here today. He stopped a group that had plans to ambush the treaty signing. Their plans would have killed everyone that was present, myself, Pranis and the King and Minister of both worlds. That would have been a catastrophic day if it had happened. Pranis is a hero and a friend, and he's asked me for my help. He'll have it without question." The Doctor seemed lost in his explanation for a moment, as if reliving a day long since past.

Alexine put her hand on his arm, interrupting his thoughts. He made eye contact with her and saw her nod her head. "I'll go change," she said. "Let me know how I can help".

"Make tea?" He said with a pleading look to his face.

"As long as it will bring peace to the galaxy!" She threw back at him, wanting to see him smile again.

"We'll visit Earth when this is over – I promise" He said.

"I'll keep you to it! I want more ice cream!" Her laughter broke the solemnity of the moment, and the Doctor again turned towards his dials.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Again, the Tardis touched down on soil that was not native to Alexine. The Doctor once more brought her to 'the closet', as he referred to it, this time outfitting her in jeans, which she absolutely loved, the now familiar trainers, and a soft top that fit her in a snug way. This was in contrast to her loose, flowing tunic that she had worn since she could remember. After she put on her new clothes, he handed her even more.

"This is a seasonal planet. The area that we're visiting today is experiencing winter. It's very, very cold. I need you bundled up in layers to keep you warm." The Doctor himself was wearing his usual suit over what he said was 'thermal undies' with a heavy coat over the ensemble that had a hood resting on his back that matched the one on her own overcoat. Gloves covered his hands and a scarf was wrapped around his neck, tucked into the front of the coat.

She donned similar garments, holding her hands out to him with a pleading look in her face when despite her best efforts, the gloves were not cooperating in her contortionist attempts to get them on her hands. Chuckling, he slipped them over her fingers, tugging at the wrist to make sure they were seated. He wrapped the scarf around her lower face and handed her the ends to tuck in. Feeling stiff in the thickness of the coverings, she walked towards the door with him, trying out the feel of the extra weight the clothing added. Her knees were having difficulty in bending because of the layers.

"I hope we don't have to run," she said through her scarf, her voice sounding muffled even to her own covered ears.

"What? Oh, I'm sure we'll have some fun. It can't all be work," he said.

She rolled her eyes and reached for his outstretched hand as he helped her out the door. The brightness of the planet made her eyes immediately squint, reminding her of the dark eyewear tucked into her pocket. Both of them put their sunglasses on at the same time, in a move that if anyone had seen would have thought was choreographed. Her eyes safely covered, she looked around at her first glimpse of the planet.

Tall mountains covered in white surrounded them. "Ice cream!" She gasped, pointing like a child.

"Your dream? You had a dream about this?" He turned and asked her.

"Argggh!" She decided that her silence was the best way to handle the distortion that the scarf was throwing into her voice. She shook her head to say never mind and the Doctor turned away from her again, looking about.

They walked a short distance away from the ship while acclimating to the frigid, dry cold of the planet. Alexine, with eyes opened wide, looked about her at the distinctive landscape surrounding her. There were tall trees, their branches sporting green foliage and holding up soft looking fluffy clouds of white. The white was over everything and their boots made crunching noises as they walked across it. As he did on their pink planet, the Doctor squatted down, took a pinch of the white substance and touched it to his tongue. He looked over at her, pulling his scarf away from his mouth to speak.

"Start learning, Alexine. Taste. This stuff is called snow. It's frozen vapor drops."

She followed his motions, tasting the snow. It melted on her warm tongue similar to ice cream, but was disappointingly absent of any taste. She scooped up a handful, letting it fall out of hand to the ground, examining the partial float of the substance as it headed down. Again she scooped up a handful, closing her fist over it to feel its consistency. When she opened her hand, she saw her fist imprinted in it, but it had now taken the shape of her closed hand. Catching on quickly, she grabbed up two handfuls and pressed them together, shaping a sphere. Catching him unawares, she tossed it at the Doctor, watching it splat on the front of his coat.

"Less than two minutes on a new world and you've figured out snowballs. Remind me not to bring you to a planet with spear plants," he said good naturedly. "You want to know what else snowballs are good for?" He casually bent over, scooping his own handfuls up as he talked. He walked over to her as he patted the snow, distracting her as she thought he was about to teach her something. When he got to her, he said one word. "Revenge." Then he smashed the snowball into her face, leaving her gasping for breath at the unexpectedness of the act and the coldness of the snow. He winked at her then, and said in a teasing tone of voice, "Don't mess with the Doctor."

Alexine started adjusting the scarf back over her mouth, muttering under her breath, "I haven't even begun to mess with the Doctor." Snow clumps were dripping slowly down the lens of her sunglasses, distorting her view of his back as he turned away.

"If you two are done declaring war on each other, I've been waiting for you" an unfamiliar voice boomed from the distance. Alexine jumped at the interruption, automatically taking a step closer to her Doctor.

"Pranis!" The Doctor exclaimed, striding over and placing his hand on the top part of the man's arm, who returned the gesture at the same time. "What a sight for these old eyes!" He stepped back, summing up the man's appearance. "You've been working out," he said, his voice showing his happiness at seeing his old friend.

Alexine gazed at the newcomer. He was very tall – at least half a head taller than the Doctor. And as far as she could tell with all of the layers of outerwear that he sported, as big around in his chest as the tall trees around them. His skin was the same color as the chocolate ice cream she had twice now gone into the galley to sneak. His eyes were round, with the deepest brown hues returning her gaze. He smiled at her, showing large white teeth between his brown lips. He was beautiful! Not like the Doctor, whose physique, although pleasing to the eye was on a much smaller scale. This man radiated power and energy and while he was smiling, friendliness. To either side and behind him, a dozen other men of similar description stood, their stances welcoming.

"Doctor, how come you always get such pretty girls to accompany you? I would think such smart ladies had higher standards. You're too scrawny for them!" Pranis's deep voice was heard by the men standing behind him, prompting snickers to erupt from several of them.

"Well, you know, boring stories, all of them," The Doctor responded, visibly squirming a bit in his layers of clothing.

"Boring? I would never call the Princess of the Water Nebula boring! Tell me, does she still do that thing with her webbing? You know what I mean…" His voice trailed off as the desperate look to stop that the Doctor was throwing him finally registered. Pranis cleared his voice suddenly, holding his fist to his mouth as if having a coughing attack. "Um, anyway, this way – we have to go through the mountain tunnel to get to the ministry palace." With this pronouncement, whatever was being asked about the Princess of the Water Nebula was swept into an awkward moment of silence.

Alexine eyed both men curiously as they led the way. The Doctor was over 1000 years old and it was impossible to assume that he was without female company that entire time. Still, she felt an unfamiliar heat on her cheeks at the thought that Pranis knew of friends of old that she had not heard of. She bit back the urge to question him about the Princess, and decided that her silence should remain intact.

A camaraderie instantly broke out between the Doctor, Pranis and the men that were accompanying them. Pranis was introducing them, but Alexine's ears were still covered by the scarf and hood, and at his current distance her hearing couldn't distinguish the muffled sounds coming out of his mouth. They stopped for a moment while a couple of the men went ahead. Pranis approached Alexine, reached up and gently tugged the scarf down past her chin. "Oh, my," he said, glancing at the Doctor. "This one is pretty!" He put his face close to hers and whispered, "stay close to the Doctor. Some would consider your beauty reason alone to win you, and I would hate to have to best one of my own men." To the Doctor, he said: "You should have known better then to have brought one such as her here!"

The Doctor stood tall, tilting down his sunglasses and sporting that flashing look back in his eyes. He said firmly and loud enough for everyone in his immediate area to hear: "She is protected."

"Let's just hope she doesn't need to be." Pranis turned towards Alexine. "I welcome you to Parakemble. Too bad you're not here in the spring – it's really a beautiful planet. I am the elder, Pranis." He gave a slight bow with his introduction.

"Elder, now, eh?" The Doctor interrupted. Does that mean your hair changed?"

Alexine was a little annoyed that the conversation was interrupted just as she was about to introduce herself.

Playfully, the Doctor reached his arm up and snatched down Pranis's hood, and a remarkable sight met their eyes. Pranis had long hair in braids that disappeared down into the back of his coat. The top part of his head was clean with no hair at all on it. But the most amazing thing was the color of his hair that grew from the sides of his head. Alexine was expecting to see black or brown hair, to match the coloring of the rest of him. What she saw was shimmering gold! It was as if his hair was alive, dancing with the sunbeams and competing for brightness.

"That would be a yes," the Doctor said. Then, without looking away from Pranis, he continued, "close your mouth, Alexine. It's rude."

"Alexine. I've heard that name before" Pranis said. "It's nice to meet you. Again, welcome."

With the hood pulled back away from his face and the marvelous display of shimmering gold distracting her, she didn't see his outstretched hand until he touched the upper part of her arm. Belatedly, she copied the movement as the Doctor had done earlier, glad that the introductions were at least completed.

"And you're lead elder at that." He Doctor continued his conversation without regard to the one between Alexine and Pranis. "Has it been that many years? Usually I can keep up, but I've been distracted for the past 100 or so. Lead Elder. Pranis, I'm impressed." He bowed deeply to his friend, holding it in place until Pranis touched his arm again.

"Between us, Doctor, there will never be the need for obsequiousness. Our respect for each other is mutual. Besides," Pranis proved at that moment that he was every bit as capable as the Doctor for mischievous smiles. He tilted his head closer and lowered his voice. "I happen to know that the Princess of the Water Nebula is the one who taught you how to bow, and the circumstances leading up to it. I can no longer keep a straight face seeing you do that now than I could during the original" (here he coughed twice into his fist again with an exaggerated air) "incident."

Now Alexine was more curious about this absent Princess than she cared to admit. She watched at the part of the Doctor's face that she could see between the sunglasses and the scarf turned beet red. He leaned over, and pulling Pranis down by tugging on his shoulder, whispered into his ear.

"Right. On now!" Pranis boomed, immediately changing the subject and his bearing.

It was obvious to Alexine that the Doctor and Pranis had adventures together in the past, sharing more than treaties! She was thoroughly enjoying seeing the Doctor with someone who was closer as a peer than she was, and it was priceless to see him squirm.

The men that had gone on ahead returned, and nodded to Pranis. He turned towards the Doctor and Alexine.

"The path is clear. If we hurry we can be at the ministry before the cold bothers the delicate one here." His nod encompassed Alexine with those words.

Soon they approached a wall in the mountain with an entrance supported by stone beams. They paused before entering, while the men accompanying them took their packs down and began taking out torches that lit when they gave them a little shake. One of them handed one to Alexine, who was surprised that they weighed much less than she would have thought.

"The lights in the tunnel are out right now. We don't know why we lost the power but with everything that's going on with the Brethren, we don't have the time to send a team in to investigate. Hopefully the generator just needs a kick start."

With that, he turned and entered the tunnel, his torchlight creating a glow in front of him that threw him into a silhouetted shadow. The Doctor gestured for Alexine to enter ahead of him, and holding her torch up, she entered the tunnel.

After just ten days, Sandgel was only a distant memory in her mind.


	11. Parakemble

Broken Hearts Still Beat

Chapter 11: Parakemble

The tunnel was cold and dark. Alexine had a rough time at first with her footing as she slipped several times on some brick like objects, being caught by the Doctor before she came to any harm. He held on to her hand firmly, and she was grateful for the support. She walked between him and the wall, and several times she put her hand on the wall to help with her balance over the debris. The pace was fast and it seemed that the men were anxious to complete this part of the journey. For the most part everyone remained quiet, the sounds of the Doctor's and Alexine's breathing seemingly disproportionately loud compared to the silence of the rest of the group. Soon the ground was much smoother and her footing was stable. It was only the first third of the tunnel that seemed to have the problem with the rubble.

After they had traversed a distance that had her breath coming in quick short busts, Pranis turned to them and stated that they were almost at their destination. Smiling beneath her scarf, she fantasized for a moment about a hot cup of tea and a soft chair. For the first time since she left Sandgel, she thought wistfully of the hot water spring beneath her cottage and the ever-ready temperature of the water, straight out of the tap, to make a perfect cup of tea.

Muttering to herself, she wondered what the chance was that Parakemble had hot water springs.

"The council of the elders wanted to be notified as soon as you arrived. We'll probably have a state finner as soon as we can get you settled. They'll want to tell you our side first, of course, but diplomacy dictates that members from the Brethren need to be present as well."

"The Brethren? They're the ones that you're having difficulty with?" The Doctor asked.

"You know them?" Pranis inquired.

"Not as such, no. But I've heard of them." The Doctor kept his own counsel regarding what exactly he had heard, but Alexine noted that his brow creased. Most of his face was still hidden under his gear, but she knew his face well enough to tell what the scrunching up of his forehead meant. The Doctor was troubled.

They exited the tunnel onto the side of a mountain, several hundred feet above the valley floor. Alexine and the Doctor stood in the opening, gaping at the majestic panorama in front of them.

The buildings seemed to be cut into the face of the mountain. They had smooth facades, glinting in the sun. There were dozens of levels of doors and windows. Alleyways could be seen twisting between the buildings, playfully crossing and re-crossing each other with paths lined with smooth stones. Winter was here as well, and snow piles could be seen in corners and courtyards, seemingly cleared from the pathways. The people of Parakemble could be seen bustling about, tending to the business of caring for their families and enterprise, as any other scene on any other planet would play out.

The buildings were stone colored, similar to the color of the bricks on Sandgel. Trees majestically rose up between the buildings and pathways, creating contrast in the picture. The highest point of the town showed a building with numerous archways, courtyards and turrets dotted about the property. There were images carved out of the rock that even at this distance had visible features.

The Doctor whistled under breath and turned towards Pranis, pulling his scarf away from his mouth. "Did well for yourself!" He exclaimed.

"Actually, I owe this to you," he responded. "After everything that happened with that last treaty all those years ago, the council wanted to thank a hero and you disappeared." He shrugged his massive shoulders. "I was here and you weren't, so I got the hero distinction. It's really yours," he said humbly.

"Mine? Pranis, if you hadn't stopped those rebels from attacking the treaty ceremony, none of us would be here! Seems to me that you ARE the real hero from that escapade!"

Pranis shrugged again. "Doesn't matter. Since then, I've earned these" he pulled out a lock of his hair from the back of his coat "fair and square. I've had over 30 challenges that I've had to meet!" He stated proudly. Leaning towards the Doctor, he finished "and don't think that those were a walk through the Tardis!" Chuckling at his joke, he gestured for them to continue down the path.

Alexine remained quiet, listening to their banter and soaking up the experience. None of her books ever mentioned that there were cities of this scope on other planets. She knew that there was life out there, as visitors came to Sandgel from all over to buy the tile. But she never thought of them before, never had a clue of her ignorance. She was overwhelmed a bit and didn't let the Doctor get very far away from her, needing the presence of the one familiar thing that she had. She placed her gloved hand in his, welcoming his smile as he glanced down at her and gave her hand a slight squeeze as if to say "it's ok, you can hold on to me."

Comforted by this silent conversation, she worked her way up the path towards the palace that stood sentient over all it surveyed.

As they made their way through the town, the people they passed paused in their occupations and bowed to Pranis, greeting him. "Lead Elder Pranis," they called out. "Welcome home!" In turn, Pranis stopped and grasped their upper arms in the gesture that Alexine was now familiar with. On her planet, when greeting another they shook hands. On this planet, they grasped the arms. It meant the same thing. Pranis was respected and loved by the people. Alexine saw no evidence of contrived regards or false modesties.

The Doctor observed Alexine for a moment, conscious of his responsibility to her safety and well-being. She appeared to be making the transition to companion with a minimal of difficulty, soaking up the contrasts in planets and inhabitants with ease. He pulled her over to the side of the path for a quick private moment with her.

"Alexine, how are you holding up?" He asked, reaching over and pulling her scarf down below her mouth. "Are you ok?" He tugged his sunglasses down so she was able to see his eyes, which were full of concern.

"Doctor, I'm great! Are we going to stay in that palace?" She asked, excited that she could speak and be understood without the scarf over her face.

"Pretty sure, yeah" he answered. He bumped her with his shoulder playfully. "Bit different from the Tardis, huh?"

She nodded her head in agreement. "Do you think we can get a cup of tea?"

He laughed that wonderful, rich laughter that she was beginning to crave. "If all you want after hiking through a mountain is a cup of tea, I think I can safely assure you that your every wish will be fulfilled." He pushed his sunglasses back up his nose and pulled her scarf back up to its prior position. "Just a little more, then we can get out of these beastly clothes."

The promise of a quick arrival was met with a snapping to attention from the palace guard at the front entrance. As they crossed through to the courtyard just inside, a definite change in atmosphere and temperature was felt. Pranis and his men immediately started peeling off layers, placing the clothing on a table to the side of the entrance.

One of Pranis's men turned to them, offering instruction. "Take off your outer clothing. They'll be tended to and placed in your rooms later. Wearing them into the palace is a sign of disrespect, as if to say you're in a hurry to leave."

The Doctor and Angeline were quick to take off their scarves, gloves and outer coat. For the first time since she changed out of the silly poodle skirt that morning, she felt light and non-constricted.

"Save the thermals for later – you can take them off in your room." The Doctor spoke close to her ear.

"As if I'm gonna strip down in the courtyard for everyone to see?" She gasped, not sure if he was trying to be helpful or silly.

His eyes opened wide at her statement. "Were you?"

"Oooh!" Was all she could answer. She let him take her hand again, following behind Pranis as they made their way into the palace.

They were met by a stately woman who immediately walked up to Pranis and grasped his upper arm. "Son." She gave a slight bow with her head.

"Mother." He repeated the gesture to her as well. Turning towards their guests, he said "Do you remember the Doctor, Mother?"

"Doctor! I was so relieved when Pranis said you would be coming to negotiate the treaty!" She approached him, and they repeated the welcome gesture. "Have you visited the Water Nebula lately?" She said with a hint of a smile on her otherwise serene face.

"Yes…well…no! No, I haven't visited the Water Nebula lately. Or at all. Lately. Please, ma'am…let me introduce you to Alexine. This is Pranis's Mother."

Both women inwardly laughing at the Doctor's obvious distress, they greeted each other. "What do I call you?" Alexine asked.

"Everyone calls me Mother. I would be honored if you did as well. We have rooms and refreshments ready for you. Please allow me to show you."

Alexine and the Doctor followed Mother up a wide sweeping staircase. After making several turns, they were shown a door that opened up into a short hallway.

"There are two rooms here. Doctor, you are in this one on the left. You share a sitting room. If you need to have different arrangements, let any of our staff know and we can change them quickly."

"No, no…this is fine!" The Doctor exclaimed. Turning towards Alexine he said "Meet you in five minutes for tea?"

"Make it four and you have a deal!" She said, opening the door and entering her room.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Who are the Brethren?" Alexine asked as they waited for their tea.

"Oh, a nasty group of people. They ruined their own planet, and travel to the different systems making 'mining' contracts with different planets. Then they not only break the contract, but they strip the planet of its resources in a very quick time period."

"Why did they agree to negotiating a treaty then, if they're just going to do what they want anyway?" She said.

"Chances are, they're already mining somewhere and the negotiations are only a distraction to Pranis and the council. But we can't come out and accuse them of this, we'll have to find out the old fashioned way." At her look of curiosity, he added, "we snoop."

"Snoop?"

"As in…wear your thermals to bed tonight. We're going out."

They abruptly changed their conversation when the tea was brought in. The staff set up the table and bustled about the room, righting things and tidying up after the Doctor and Alexine.

"Mother is a very beautiful woman! How old do you think she is?" Alexine asked the Doctor when she was finally holding her teacup in her hand.

"What a cheeky question!" He exclaimed. "Let's see. Pranis was about 30 years old – remember, 12 of your moons equal a year on most planets. We traveled together for about five years, and it's been about 105 years since then. So I know him to be at least 140 years old. So his mother must be at least 20 more, but maybe much more than that. This species has a life range of about 400 years."

"That's an incredible amount of time to live!" She nodded to the staff, who were making their exit from the room, leaving them alone again.

"Well, not to a Time Lord. How old are you?" He casually asked.

Alexine thought for a moment before looking up. "I don't know!" She said. I've had so many moons with nothing to measure my life by. I can remember every person that I sent home and every day that I did it. I guess I have to add them up."

"I'm good at math!" The Doctor volunteered.

"Let's see then." They started doing some calculations, first on the time Alexine spent at the cottage alone, then the time she had with the books. She had to have been at least 18 when she got there because she was fully grown. Then she started adding up the people that she helped to go home. "This can't be right" she said when they were finished.

"No, not perfect, but a rough guess."

"No one can live that long."

"Oi! Hello! Time Lord!"

Alexine's giggle had left her. "Ten thousand moons? And I was alone that whole time?"

Suddenly serious, the Doctor reached his hand out to her, brushing away the heavy hair from her face. "You're not alone anymore." Leaning towards her, his eyes watched her mouth as she scraped her lips with her top teeth, as if she was nervous about his intentions. "I'm here with you." His lips gently touched hers as his arms closed about her shoulders, gathering her closer to him. Her hands answered his gesture by sliding up his chest to rest on his shoulders. A soft knock on the door caused him to pull away a tiny bit. Still gazing into her eyes, he said "Yes?"

A feminine voice answered: "Doctor, you're wanted in the Elder Circle if you're ready."

"Just a minute" he answered. To Alexine he asked: "Can we finish this later?"

She nodded.

"Time to start negotiating then." He paused for one further moment, his lips smiling slightly as he played with her hair. "Will you stay with me for the talks?"

She nodded again.

"Hey, kissing you makes you quiet! I'll have to remember that!" His jaunty personality was back, the moment over.

He stood up and held out his hand. As she placed hers in it and stood up, he slid his hand around her waist and hugged her briefly.

"We'll be fantastic – I just know it!" He said.

She silently agreed. They would be great. If she could ever get her heart out of her mouth and stop her knees from knocking together! Really! One kiss and she's melting faster than that last spoonful of ice cream! Although, it was her first kiss ever. According to her books, it's the stuff of legends. And it happened to her! Her emotions were in overdrive and she didn't understand most of the sensations she was feeling at that moment. Oh….what she wouldn't give for some chocolate ice cream right now!

76


	12. The Palace

Broken Hearts Still Beat

Chapter 12: The Palace

Alexine and the Doctor were escorted to the council chamber by one of the staff that had brought them their tea.

Entering the chamber, she felt as if she had stepped into one of the stories that she had read in her beloved books. Rich embroidered tapestries hung from the walls, depicting battle scenes of gruesome creatures entwined in their struggles. There were wide chairs gathered about a round table that was large enough to seat a couple dozen people on the plush furniture. The floors were laid in a mosaic of tile, their bright colors and telling textures bringing a smile to her lips as she recognized their origin. Here she was, so far from home, and there was a little piece of it to welcome her.

When they entered, silence had enveloped the room as all in attendance had turned their attention to the newcomers. They saw the couple, standing in the portal, as they in turn swept their eyes over the room taking it in. They watched as the woman looked down at the floor, and witnessed the small smile that transformed her face from slightly anxious to serene and confident. More than one of them wondered at her thoughts at that moment. Pranis walked over to them, greeting the Doctor and then Alexine before turning to address the room.

"Fellow council elders – here I bring the Doctor and his companion, Alexine into the chamber for treaty negotiations. From this point forward until the treaty is in place, there will be no private conversations or agendas between ourselves, the Brethren and them."

The council elders answered as one voice: "So it shall be."

The Doctor leaned towards Alexine and softly said: "I didn't realize they would invoke that so quickly, I'm sorry that I didn't warn you in advance. Stay by my side so we don't accidentally create an interstellar blunder, eh?"

She gave an imperceptible nod indicating her agreement. They stepped away from the portal, carefully negotiating the couple of stairs down to the floor of the chamber. A staff member offered them a tray with refreshments tinted a rosy pink filled inside of a glass that looked impossibly delicate to handle.

"Ooh…wick nectar. Haven't had this in ages!" The Doctor exclaimed, lifting the glass to his lips and taking a tiny sip. "Be careful with this, it packs a punch!" he nodded towards the glass in Alexine's hand.

She carefully brought the glass up to her lips, touching the liquid with the tip of her tongue to test it. It was sweet, but at the same time very light. It reminded her a bit of the cactus juice that she found in her cupboard every morning back in the cottage. Except when she pulled the glass away from her mouth, she found a tingling sensation that lingered on her tongue. It was disconcerting but not unpleasant. She took a tiny sip, experiencing the phenomenon in her entire mouth. She was so intent on her discovery that when she heard a familiar chuckle, her eyes flew up and her cheeks reddened just a bit.

"Like I said, it packs a punch. Be careful!" The Doctor said, his eyes twinkling with humor.

Introductions began, and Alexine found herself being greeted by numerous men and women. Pranis's race was made up of extremely beautiful people. They were all much larger than the average person found on Sandgel, and all had the flawless skin that Pranis sported as well. The elders also had the golden hair, although theirs covered their entire heads, unlike Pranis who was bare on top. Their clothing belied the current climate condition of their planet, made of light fabric with embroidered embellishments in bright colors sprinkled over them. Some of the elders had medals attached to ribbons that hung around their neck, which Alexine assumed were awards of some nature. Without exception, they all had welcoming smiles and warm eyes. She quickly felt very comfortable in their midst.

As they worked their way around the room, Pranis facilitating the introductions, they ran into a familiar face. "Mother," the Doctor acknowledged. "Thank you for the comfortable rooms that you set us in."

"All is well then?" She inquired.

Alexine replied "They're wonderful! I love that I can look out my window and see the courtyard!" The Doctor's eyebrows lifted slightly at that statement, as if filing the information away somewhere safe.

Mother nodded towards Alexine's glass of wick nectar. "Imbibe carefully if you're not used to that, child. Our brewers pride themselves on its potency."

The Doctor snorted under his breath. "Child. You're older than her!" he said in her ear.

Had they not been under such scrutiny, Alexine would have replied. As it were, she wisely held her response.

Mother and Pranis moved away to find their seats at the table. A staff member ushered them to their own seats, which were on opposite sides of the table from each other. Alexine gave the Doctor an anxious look, but he nodded at her to go ahead. She found a council elder to her left, and an empty chair to her right. She placed her glass down on the table and sat silent, her hands folded on her lap, not knowing how to proceed.

There was movement at the portal to the chamber, and all who were in the room turned to watch the spectacle that was presented. The Brethren had arrived!

They swept into the room with what Alexine thought privately was arrogance. About a dozen creatures filed in, crossing each other in a display of choreography as they found their places forming a straight line with a space left in the middle. A voice boomed from the background:

"Fellow council elders – here I bring the Minister Sockren and his Brethren brothers into the chamber for treaty negotiations. From this point forward until the treaty is in place, there will be no private conversations or agendas between ourselves, the Brethren and the negotiators."

The council elders again called out: "So it shall be."

The staff showed the Brethren and their Minister to their seats at the table. They were scattered throughout the seating, no two Brethrens or Parakembles sitting together. Pranis stood up, his glass in hand.

"Welcome to this most auspicious occasion! We are beyond proud to be able to introduce the Doctor" here he nodded towards the Doctor to indicate him "and Alexine" – he repeated his nod to the opposite side of the table – "to assist the Brethrens and Parakembles in our treaty negotiations! Please all raise your glass to toast our mutual success and continued endeavors!"

Taking another sip of her wick nectar, Alexine gazed at the member of the Brethen across from her. He was fierce looking, with a tough looking greenish-brown skin. In addition to the unusual color, he had bumps covering his face and head, which was bare of any hair or other covering. He had digits on his hands, but instead of the fingers that she was used to seeing, instead had bone like appendages that had dark yellowish claws at the end of them. He wore a cloak over his armor, which looked like it was made from an animal hide. She wondered if the red cloak was for ceremonial occasions since it seemed to be in conflict with the armor.

The creature that she was gazing at looked up suddenly, as if knowing that her eyes were sizing him up. He turned his head slightly to the side as he in turn gazed back at her. His mouth opened in what she hoped was a smile, flashing her yellow pointed teeth with a blackened tongue whipping out for a split moment before disappearing again into his mouth. The creature nodded to her before turning his attention back to his glass of wick nectar.

Alexine felt a small shiver rush up her spine when he nodded. Her immediate sense of distrust and unease rose to meet her and she chastised herself to deny her unjustified impression. She certainly had never seen such a creature on Sandgel before. For all she knew, they were wonderful, loving people who just had the misfortune to look so – her mind struggled to find a charitable word in her thoughts – she gave up. They looked mean!

Dinner was announced, and soon trays of plates were passed around, a variety of foods placed on them in strategically artful form. None of the foods looked familiar to her, although her mouth watered at the aroma coming from the plates. Tasting carefully, she soon found some items that were very pleasant, and discarded a couple of others from consideration for different reasons. She looked over at the Doctor and saw him to be hardly eating at all – his elbows were placed on either side of his place, his hands clasped in front of his face, and he appeared to be deep in conversation with Pranis to his left and Minister Sockren to his right. None of the men appeared to be enjoying the meal. Her heart sank a bit as her anxiety level rose. She intuitively guessed that things were not going well at the other side of the table.

"I find that the red berries aren't as sweet as the yellow ones, what do you think?" The elder to her left said.

"I thought the red ones were almost too sweet actually," she replied, turning her gaze away from the Doctor and his conversation to concentrate on the elder that addressed her.

"And the yellow?"

"Tangy and almost bitter" she said. "But still tasty!" She hastened to add, wishing to avoid an insult.

"We must have very different taste buds! The elder exclaimed. "Isn't it wonderful, all of the differences between species and worlds! On Parakemble, we strive to recognize the differences and celebrate them." To this, he raised his glass of wick nectar, prompting Alexine to do so in return and take another tiny sip of the drink.

After only a couple of careful sips, Alexine already felt the tingling in her mouth beginning to spread to her lips and the tip of her nose. Instinct interjected further caution in the handling of the delicate glass.

The efficient staff cleared the dinner plates, and small bowls were put in their place. Alexine gave an excited gasp when she saw what was in her bowl. "Ice cream!" She exclaimed, her mouth watering at the sight of the now familiar desert. Hers was a light brown in contrast to the deep brown of the chocolate ice cream aboard the Tardis, and she scooped her spoon into it enthusiastically, missing the frantic look the Doctor was giving her across the table, shaking his head to say no.

When the cold substance hit her mouth, Alexine froze. Instead of the sweet creamy treat that she thought it was, this was an excruciatingly bitter sensation. Her mouth desperately wanted to spit it out, and it took all of her will to not do so. Picking up her napkin, she started bringing it to her mouth while she simultaneously saw the frantic gestures from the Doctor. Her eyes grew wide, trying to send him the silent message that she had a problem. Message received, he shrugged his shoulders and again shook his head no.

Interpreting the silent conversation to be a warning not to spit out the bitter dessert, she closed her eyes and forced herself to swallow, hoping that it didn't come up again. Her eyes watering, she grabbed the first thing she could find, her glass of wick nectar, and took a large gulp of it to erase the taste in her mouth.

That was the last thing she remembered for awhile.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

She heard soft voices that were dancing on the edge of her consciousness. A door closed, and then there was silence. She was laying on a bed, the softness cushioning her body in a welcoming gesture. Her head was cradled in a pillow that smelled sweetly like the honey from Pompeii. She felt the mattress sink on one side, and a hand brushed away the hair from her face.

"Are you waking?" A whispered voice called out.

She groaned in answer. She did not want to wake!

"Alexine, you were so extraordinary! I've never seen such bravery before! You know you're my hero, don't you?" She heard the Doctor's voice speaking these words, but had no idea what he was talking about.

She opened one eye. "What?"

"I can't believe you figured out my message! I knew we would be fantastic together!"

His enthusiasm, while it seemed honest, was not making any sense to her.

"What message?" She croaked.

He helped her sit up, pressing a glass of cloudy water in her hands while he explained with an excited voice: "I was talking to Pranis and Minister Sockren. The Minister was accusing Pranis of deliberately leading him on with the promise of further contracts, and of sabotaging his mining equipment. Pranis was about to challenge him to combat, and I couldn't figure out how to stop the conversation from going any further.

I saw your eye contact from across the table and you seemed to be asking me what was going on. I shook my head no, to tell you that I was desperate for a way out. Then, you fantastic, wonderful girl! You deliberately sacrificed yourself by drinking the wick nectar, knowing that you would pass out, creating a diversion and stopping the conversation before the two idiots could kill each other! I love you!"

With that, he grabbed her cheeks, pulled her face towards him and gave her a very loud kiss on her lips.

Alexine sat there, totally stunned and confused.

"Anytime" she said, handing him back the glass of water and falling back on her pillow.

"No, no – don't go back to sleep! We have to go!" He said, his voice back to normal tone. "Drink this – it has something in it to help the hangover."

She allowed him to pull her back up, feeling as if she was on the losing end of a tug of war. Dutifully drinking down the potion, she stretched before swinging her legs over the end of the bed to prepare to rise.

"Where are we going again? Isn't it night?" She said, glancing out the window.

"Snooping. Remember?" He quipped. He walked over to her window, peering down at the courtyard.

"Right. Thermal undies. Snooping." She didn't feel herself enough to try to attempt full sentences. The Doctor, on the other hand, was enthusiastic and border line hyper.

"Come on, Alexine! The courtyard is clear, the sun will be up in only six hours and I have meetings that I have to be at!" He started piling up her cold outerwear, which had arrived back in their rooms, cleaned and fresh on the chair next to her bed.

He left her alone when he was done, presumably to retreat to his own chambers to change. She slowly stood up, surprised that whatever was in that glass had already sorted her out. She stripped out of her jeans and started the process of building up the layers again, sliding into the thermals and struggling to get her jeans back over them. She was able to get the boots on and the coat and scarf, but again failed miserably with the gloves. She knocked gently on the Doctor's door. She entered when he said to come in.

"Ready? Good girl." He started handing her small packages, indicating that she should put them in her pockets. She recognized rope, strips of medical cloth, matches and miscellaneous items that she supposed were necessary for any middle of the night random adventure. She saw him with a small metal object about the size of a writing pen.

"What's that?" She asked.

"My sonic screwdriver. Comes in handy."

"What does it do?"

"Oh, this and that. Depends on what I need it to do. For right now, though, it's going to lock our doors from the inside so no one knows we're gone." He indicated that she should leave in front of him, and once in their alcove, he pointed the screwdriver at the doorknob to his room, pressed a button on the screwdriver, and a click could be heard from within the locking mechanism of the door. He repeated the same task for her door before slipping it into his inside pocket. "Now we're ready," he said.

She held up her bare hands to him, the gloves dangling down from one of them. "Not yet." She said, chagrined.

He smiled at he, pausing for a moment to make eye contact. Keeping his voice down, he said "Alexine. You can save two governments from tearing each others throats out, but you can't put on your own gloves. What am I to do with you?" Completing his task, he tweaked her nose and winked at her before turning and leading the way.

They crept through the palace, carefully progressing down the stairs towards the main entrance. They slipped through the door, and once in the courtyard, kept to the shadows that the torches threw, believing their obscurity to be complete.

He help his finger up to his lips to keep the silence, and picking up a rock, tossed it towards the palace door, a loud resounding thump breaking the stillness of the night.

Falling for the ruse, the two sentries ran to the door to investigate, allowing the Doctor and Alexine to slip out through the gate and down the path that led away from the palace.

Once they were a comfortable distance away, the Doctor turned to Alexine. "That was easy." He boasted.

"Where exactly are we going?" She asked.

"Back to the tunnels. I want to see if I can figure out why it lost its energy, if it's really the Brethren's fault or if there's something else at play here."

"Do you have any guesses?"

"Yeah. I have guesses. I'm 90% sure it's the Brethren's fault. But I want proof before I confront them."

"Why are you so sure it's them if you've never met them before tonight?"

"Their reputation precedes them." As they walked down the path, the Doctor told her of the things that he had heard before during his travels. "When they go to a planet to mine, they always approach as friendly, willing to trade. But their part of the payment never quite reaches the other party – they have more excuses than you could imagine! They pretend to be affronted easily, finding cause to accuse the other party of duplicity. Then they enter these type of negotiations, all the while pulling the resources off of the planet that's being duped at such tremendous rates, that by the time the negotiations are completed, the planet is dead, stripped of its resources, and the people left scratching their heads while they figure out how it went wrong. Then the Brethren moves on, depositing their cargo back home, and finding another planet to plunder."

"You mentioned on the Tardis that violence had broken out. What is that about?"

"The Brethren often will stage crime scenes, more so that they can cry foul at the treaty negotiations. It's part of their confusion tactic. They'll sacrifice a couple of their own people so they can say that the other side is using intimidation tactics."

"Doctor" she said, holding him up a moment by touching his arm. Looking up into his face with a serious expression, she asked: "Are you sure of these facts? To be an arbitrator in this type of treaty negotiation while suspecting these heinous things…well, are you sure? I'll support you, that's not what's at issue. Just….are you?" She repeated.

He looked down at her, the trust evident in her face. "Wouldn't it be great if I were wrong?" He said softly, touching her cheek with his gloved hand. "I would love it if I were wrong." He looked past her, towards the palace. "But I'm not."

A/N We're at the half way point - there's 23 chapters total. Will you please let me know how you're finding Alexine's adventure? Leave a review? Thanks!


	13. The Tunnel

Broken Hearts Still Beat

**Chapter 13: The Tunnel**

When they reached the tunnel, the Doctor and Alexine stopped for a moment to rest. He unpacked and found the torches that had been tucked into the deep pocket inside his coat. He handed her one, which glowed after she gave it a shake.

"These are neat" she said. "They could come in handy on cloudy nights."

"You didn't have much rain on Sandgel, did you?" He said, making small conversation while he organized his supplies.

"It rained once or twice a year. But we had dust storms more frequent than that. It would take days for the dust to settle, and often blocked out the light from the moons and stars, leaving it very dark at night."

He looked up at her, a small grin on his face. "Imagine that – no rainy days! Some of my favorite days have been rainy ones. I would miss that." He reminisced. "Hold this for me, will you?"

He handed her a sack which she held while he re-packed his pockets. Taking it from her, he reached in and brought out a couple of pieces of flatbread, handing one to her. "I don't know about you, but I didn't eat much dinner" he said.

She nibbled on it as they sat cross legged on the floor of the tunnel. "I ate. The foods tasted weird, but some of them were pretty good. That yellow squashy stuff was good."

"Some of the best fun of traveling is sampling the foods from the different worlds. You didn't like some things?"

"Oh, that ice cream was horrible! That's why I was looking at you to begin with – not because of your conversation, I was in shock that it tasted so bitter! It looked exactly like your ice cream from the galley, except it was lighter in color, but it was nasty! I wanted to badly so spit it out!"

The Doctor laughed loudly, his voice echoing in the tunnel. "Why did you drink the wick nectar like that?"

"I swallowed the ice cream because that's what I thought you were telling me to do – it was so horrible that I grabbed the first thing I could to take the taste out of my mouth."

The Doctor was now leaning against the wall of the tunnel for support. "Here I thought you were reading my thoughts, and all you were doing was just trying not to spit out ice cream." He wiped the tears from his face. "You're precious."

"Does that mean I'm not a hero anymore?" She asked wryly.

"It means that you're an even bigger hero, because you're an accidental hero," he exclaimed. At her confused look, he expounded: "That's when you don't mean to be a hero, but your inherent nature pushes your actions so that they are heroic in consequence."

"Well, don't expect me to eat anymore of that stuff, I don't care how much of a hero you need for me to be!" She said with a sarcastic note.

Still chuckling, the Doctor signaled the end of their break by standing up. "Let's go," he said, helping her up. They headed back down the tunnel.

About half way through the tunnel, the Doctor stopped, his torch illuminating some writing on the wall. "The power transformer is close," he said. Knocking on the wall, a distinctively hollow sound was delivered. Pulling out his sonic screwdriver, he pressed a couple of settings, and pointing it towards the wall, he pushed a button which shot out a blue beam of light. Hearing a click, the wall pulled away at one side and a doorway was revealed. "Here it is!" He said cheerfully.

Entering the hidden room, Alexine saw machinery with pipes disappearing through the rock of the floor. There wasn't much space to walk around the machinery, so she stood in the doorway while the Doctor approached it, keeping her torch on it to provide more light.

"This is the transformer." He put his hand on the shell of the shoulder high machine. "It's cold to the touch. It hasn't been operated recently." He squatted down, following with his torch the tangle of cables through the different components.

He seemed to know what he was looking at, and Alexine certainly didn't, so she stayed quiet and let him do his work.

"Hello" he said softly as he used a single finger to lift a smaller cable. "What are you doing here?" Tugging gently, he untangled this cable, tracing its origin back up to the transformer. He found where it entered the machine, which was through a small hole in the back. He pointed his screwdriver towards it and looked at it, observing the lights that were blinking. "This is live" he said. He looked up at her, that smile flashing that said he was about to do something naughty. "Let's kill it." At that, he pulled the cable from where it entered the machine, severing the link. Simultaneously, the transformer sprang to life and the lights in the tunnel came on. "Mystery number one solved. Now let's see if we can figure out where it came from." At that, he pulled hard on the cable, pulling it up from the floor. He rolled up the length and placed it in his pocket.

"Why didn't Pranis's people find that?" Alexine asked. "It seemed easy enough." She turned off her torch and put both hers and the Doctor's down just inside the door.

"But it wasn't that easy. It was mixed in to look like the other cables. I was looking for it specifically, so I found it. The camouflage was good."

They walked back together through the tunnel towards the entrance. The Doctor was unusually quiet as if lost in his thoughts. Alexine hesitated until her curiosity got the better of her. "Doctor, what did that cable do?"

"Huh? Oh, the cable. It interrupted the power flow. There was no power getting to the transformer, so it couldn't keep the lights on. It was grounded below the floor."

"Why would the Brethren keep the transformer off? If all it was doing was power the lights, it seems to me that it wasn't a major enough source for them to bother with."

The Doctor stopped walking so abruptly that Alexine had taken another couple of steps before realizing her isolation. "All it was doing was powering the lights," the Doctor repeated, looking at Alexine incredulously. Then, a little louder, "Of course! All it was doing was powering the lights! Why would you want to turn off a light?" He almost yelled it at Alexine in his excitement.

"To keep things dark?" She said with a small voice, not understanding what was happening.

The Doctor grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her another one of his quick noisy kisses. "To keep things dark! Exactly! We're going back!" He quickly let go of her, turned around and started jogging down the tunnel, back in the direction towards the transformer.

"I'm getting dizzy," she muttered under her breath before turning and trotting after the Doctor.

They again reached the area that the transformer was in, but instead of re-opening the door, the Doctor stood staring at the writing that was on the wall next to the opening. He traced the symbols with his finger, his mouth moving soundlessly as if reading to himself. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the cable and unrolled a small length, holding it up to the now bright light and squinting his eyes, trying to make out the miniscule symbols on the cable. "It matches." He pronounced.

"It matches what?" Alexine challenged.

"Each other. Now we need a third reference point to determine exactly who it points to."

"A third reference point?"

"Right now we have two items that are related to each other. But all it tell us is that the same symbols that make up the message on the wall are the same symbols that are on the cable. It doesn't tell us who the symbols originate from. Someone wants this tunnel to be kept in the dark, Alexine. We need to find out who before we can find out why."

"How do we find out?" She asked.

"More snooping! Don't you love this stuff?" He asked, a laugh in his voice while he re-rolled the cable and stored it in his pocket.

Alexine thought that he was enjoying himself just a little too much, considering the gravity of the situation.

"You really like snooping, don't you?" She said, as they again turned and started making their way towards the entrance to the tunnel.

"Oh, Alexine – there aren't very many mysteries of the universe left for me. I've solved so many of them, I need something to keep my brain in shape! Now, take you. You're a mystery to me. There's lots to solve regarding you. But FOR you" he said, emphasizing his words, "for you there's an entire existence out there for you to explore and learn. You're almost as old as I am; yet you're young when it comes to experiences. You've been on your planet too long, and it's kept you from growing."

His words left her reflective. It's true, she doesn't have the experiences that the Doctor has had. The last couple of days, since she left Sandgel aboard the Tardis, has given her more exposure to existence than all of the moons she lived in her cottage. In addition to visiting different planets, she's met different races, has had food from a different planet, discovered jeans and trainers, and the best experience of all so far, she found ice cream. Not bad for a couple of days, but she felt very naïve compared to the Doctor.

She slipped her hand into his, a gesture that was quick becoming a symbol for needed assurance. He gave it his trademark little squeeze, and they made their way quietly together towards the entrance, each lost in their own thoughts.

Sneaking back into the palace proved to be much more difficult than sneaking out, and the Doctor elected to just walk up to the sentries and go in as if taking a walk in the pre dawn hours of the morning was something that he and Alexine did every day. The sentries stood aside for them, each giving them a curious look as they cheerfully strolled in and watched them as they stripped their coats and cold weather gear off and placed them on the table.

Approaching their chambers, the Doctor yawned and companionably threw his arm around Alexine's shoulders. "I'm ready for a nap!" He said.

Her own tiredness catching up with her, Alexine agreed. The Doctor pulled out his screwdriver and unlocked their doors, standing aside as she crossed her threshold. "Goodnight, Doctor" she said, leaning a bit on her partially opened door.

He leaned into her, and gently kissed her, this time lingering just a bit. His hand brushed away the hair from her face, coming to rest on her neck. His eyes searched hers briefly, as if making sure there was still acceptance there. "Good night Alexine" he said softly. His eyebrows rose up when a low giggle escaped from her. "Something funny?"

"No, not funny. It's just that I've never been kissed before, and it's happened so many times today!"

"I do forget how isolated you've been." He straightened up, withdrawing his hand. "Get used to it. Kissing is right up there with chocolate ice cream." Having said his final decree for the night, he entered his chamber and closed his door.

Alexine floated towards her bed and while wriggling out of her jeans and thermals thought back on the past couple of days. She padded barefoot over to the mirror and looked at her face, wondering if the vast changes that she felt on the inside were visible on the outside.

The sunburn and the abrasions on her face were now distant memories. Her hair was messy, having been contained under a hood for the past several hours. There were slight shadows under her eyes, announcing to the mirror that she was sleep deprived. Other than that, there was absolutely no change to her appearance when comparing it to her last day on Sandgel. Not sure what she had been expecting, she turned and ran, leaping onto her bed like a child and burrowed down into the soft bedding and pillow.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

The Doctor also was looking in the mirror. His conversation earlier this evening with Alexine was still in his mind. When he realized her true age, that she wasn't that much younger than himself, he deliberately pushed the fact to the back of his mind, to be taken out and examined when he was alone. The time was now. How could she be that old? He had regenerated countless times, but she didn't appear to have that ability.

He recalled the tests on her hair that he had performed when he first found her ribbon, before he realized that it was Alexine that he had been searching for. The race had been undetermined by the analyzer. Had she been native to Sandgel, it should have said that. It picked up that the petal song toxins were from that planet, so why didn't it say that Alexine was from there as well? The answer was obvious, because she wasn't. Which led to the next logical question, which is where was she from? Alexine herself wouldn't be much help with the mystery.

There were a few races, the Parakembles included, where advanced age was part of their physique, especially when compared to humans. He told himself that when he got back to the Tardis, he would do some research to see if there was a race where Alexine fit into that would explain the ambiguity that was her history.

He sat down at the table that earlier they had enjoyed tea at, and allowed his thoughts free rein. He had kissed her. Several times, in fact. His attraction to her was building to a point where he hadn't wanted it to go. He was afraid that he was falling in love with her. He had been in love before, but always they had died or left him or – his thoughts turned darker as Rose popped into his memory. She was the one who got away. He left her in an alternate dimension with a copy of himself. She was able to be with him, but he could never again be with her. She lived, laughed, cried, hopefully had many children with his double, while he went on lonely and now that he's allowing a moment of honesty, sad. His hearts had been sad. For awhile he denied it with laughter and just a touch of wildness.

It was the period following Rose that Pranis had traveled with him and the whole incident with the Princess of the Water Nebula happened. He smiled to himself at the thought. He would never live that one down, apparently. Even Mother seemed to be aware of it! It was one of those things where he was secretly glad of the notoriety, although just as glad that it was in his past and not something he was living now.

He wasn't sure if he was ready to love again. He also wasn't sure that he had any control over it. He was certainly committed to Alexine now, it wasn't like he could just dump her back on Sandgel with a picture of the Tardis as a souvenir. But maybe this time it would be different. She seemed to have a similar lifespan to his. His eyes glanced up in the universal search for a higher life form.

"Please?" He said out loud, the reason for the plea left unsaid.

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A/N I thought I would include a sneak preview of the next chapter.

Chapter 14: Dancing with the Doctor

The Doctor continued: "the talks today did not go well. Minister Sockren insists that he's not been drilling yet. He said that they have no intention of pulling anything off this planet except for its crystal ore which is badly needed in other parts of the galaxy." At her questioning look he added "it's not a precious mineral here. It's not used for anything except to make gardens pretty. I'm pretty sure he's lying but I need proof. There's a reason he's going after transformers and I need to find out why. The symbols on the cable and the wall match their style of writing."


	14. Dancing With The Doctor

Broken Hearts Still Beat

**Chapter 14: Dancing With The Doctor**

Alexine woke early the next afternoon, alarmed that she had slept in so long. Knocking on the adjoining door to the Doctor's chambers and not receiving a response, she peeked in to find the bed made and the chamber empty.

She entered the sitting room and found tea on the table, to which she gratefully helped herself. Remembering what the Doctor had said the evening before about having meetings, and the agreement they made that she would stay with him, she felt guilty for sleeping so late.

She answered "Come in" to the discreet knock on the door. A staff member entered holding a small disc in her hand. "A message for you from the Doctor," she said, holding out the object.

Alexine took it from her, but turning it over, didn't see any message. "How does it work?" She inquired, instinct tell her there was more to it than appeared.

The woman took the disc back from Alexine and walked over to the door. Next to it was a panel that slid into the wall when she held her hand up to it. Appearing from behind it was a monitor similar to what she saw in the control room aboard the Tardis, with the exception that this one was dark and silent. "Insert it here," she said, indicating a slot on the side of the monitor. "The message will play. When it's finished, the message plate pops back out." She inserted the plate slightly into the slot, and unobtrusively slipped back out the door.

Alexine approached the panel, and pushed the message plate fully into the slot. The monitor sprang to life and the Doctor's face appeared on the screen. He looked refreshed and energized, a far cry from her own sleepy and bedraggled appearance.

"You're awake! Great! I hope you slept well!" His voice cheerfully called out.

"Doctor, I'm sorry I –" She was cut off as the message continued.

"I decided to let you sleep. These first meetings are just fact finding and are" – here his eyes rolled up and he scrunched up his face to emphasize the next word – "BORING!"

Realizing that this was a recorded message, Alexine giggled at his silliness.

"But hey – I'll need you this afternoon, so if you can please get all of your Cinderella glory – right – I still have to tell you about Cinderella. I'll do that over tea this evening. Remind me. Anyway, what I have to tell you is that tonight there will be a ball. That's a formal party where everyone dances and lies to each other about how wonderful they look. It's part of a treaty negotiation – the opportunity to socialize with each other in the attempt to build friendships. "

"Mother is going to come to you later to help you with a dress and I need for you to do something for me while she's there." Here the Doctor looked around, as if to make sure that no one was listening to him record the message. "Mother will not be alone – remember, the council laid down the law that no one is to have a private conversation with either of us. So you have to be careful when you ask her this not to let it look like the question is anything but casual. Ask her if you can have a tour of the palace. You know, just girl stuff, talking about tapestries and pictures."

"I need for you to find out where the transformers for the castle are. They're probably underneath, in some dodgy chamber, but I'll need for you to tell me how to get there later. Make up something – you're interested in energy or something. You're brilliant, you'll think of a reason. It's not something that I can request without anyone thinking I had ulterior motives for examining the power structure."

He paused, and Alexine could see him reaching towards the panel in front of him as if to turn it off. He stopped in mid movement, again looked up at the monitor, and said: "While you're at it, find out where the kitchens are. I'm starved!" After winking and flashing his grin, the monitor went dark again.

Alexine removed the message plate from the console, which immediately closed its panel over the monitor. Tapping the plate against her chin, she thought about the message she had just heard. A ball. Ask for a tour. Transformers. He's hungry. A ball! She jumped out of her own thoughts. She read about balls! Her excitement rising up in her, she forcibly tapped it down while she returned to her chamber to dress in her jeans and sweater.

As if on cue, Mother arrived, with several other ladies of both the Parakemble and Brethren races. A few staff members entered the room behind them, carrying trays that they placed on the table that was against the wall. Mother made the introductions, after which she explained to Alexine that the Doctor had told them that she wasn't feeling well that morning after her accidental over-imbibing of the wick nectar the evening before. They decided to bring a late lunch to her, so that they could all take a moment to "get to know each other".

As the women settled themselves into their seats, Alexine observed their appearance. The Brethren women were a feminine version of the men. They also did not have any hair, although they adorned their bumpy heads with circles of gilded metal shaped into patterns that crisscrossed each other, not unlike a crown. Their faces wore brightly colored eye powder, reminding Alexine of the color eggs from her planet. Their clothes were made from the same substance as the armor that the men wore, but cut into shifts that hung from their shoulders. Their wrists were adorned with dozens of thinly cut circular rings which tinkled musically as they moved their hands.

The women were all wives and mates to the ministers and elders of the negotiating parties, left to their own devices while their partners were in their meetings. Mother fulfilled her hostess duties by passing around plates laden with sandwiches made with their flat bread and small bowls of what Alexine assumed were vegetables. One dish she particularly liked had small brown puffs tossed with a creamy sauce that had a delicious savory taste. Seeing her pleasure, Mother explained that the brown puffs were grown in the fields beyond the mountains during their warm months and that particular food item stored excellently throughout the winter. She promised to pack some for Alexine and the Doctor to take with them when they left Parakemble.

The chatter quickly turned to the ball. The other ladies, knowing well in advance that interstellar custom dictates that there would be a ball, were well prepared with their arrangements. Mother turned to Alexine. "I had the staff put several garments in your room for you to look at. The Doctor told me that he didn't have time to bring you back to the ship to get your ball gown. Men don't think of these things," she added with an indulgent smile. "I'm sure at least one of them will be suitable, I've given a selection of different styles and colors. Contact me if there's anything else needed."

Alexine nodded. "Thank you, Mother. You're very kind. I was wondering if I could take advantage of your kindness and ask for another favor." At Mother's encouraging nod, she continued: "I've never been to a palace before. Is it possible that you and your companions can give me a tour?"

Mother's face lit up with happiness at the request. "Of course! No one else was interested when I offered a tour earlier in the proceedings. I'm delighted to show off our palace!" She turned towards the other women present. "Who will come with us?" The women all seemed to be looking anywhere but at Mother. "Oh, come on! Someone must want some adventure! Alexine and I can't go without at least one of you present!" Finally, one of the women reluctantly nodded her head. "There, it's settled! After lunch, we'll take our tour!"

Mother's excitement was infectious, and Alexine had to remind herself of her own ulterior motive for requesting to see the castle. Recalling that by the Doctor's own decree that they were bound to have some fun while here, she decided that it was ok to mix a little pleasure with her business. Imagine – her in a palace!

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

The sheer volume of stairs they had to climb soon had Alexine slightly out of breath, and the Brethren lady (whose name she learned meant flower in her native tongue, but translated to 'Aisle' for Alexine) wheezing for air. Mother gracefully paused in their climbing, allowing them to rest for a moment, her poise unflappable. "The alcoves in the walls all hold busts of our Elders that have passed before us." At this she paused, laying a reverent hand on the name plaque below the bust in front of her. "This was Pranis's father, my husband, Lead Elder Ganit. He's been gone these past 60 years now and is still missed." A hint of sadness enveloped her before she turned back to them and said, "Shall we resume our tour?"

Aisle said to Alexine in a soft voice "Waste of space if you ask me. What's dead is dead."

"Aisle" Mother reprimanded gently. "No private conversations." Aisle's eyes flashed quickly before she lowered her head in a slight nod of agreement.

"Aisle was just commenting on your custom of honoring your beloved ancestors" Alexine quickly interjected, not wanting any treaties to evaporate because of a single snide comment.

Both Mother and Aisle stared at Alexine for a moment, identical looks of surprise on their faces. "Thank you, Aisle," Mother said. "That was so kind of you to notice!"

Aisle in turn looked at Alexine and responded "Thank YOU, Alexine. You honor me with your diplomacy." At that, she walked past them and began the remaining climb up the stairs.

Mother and Alexine shared a glance and a shrug and fell into place behind Aisle on the stairs.

After touring the upper floors of the palace, where there were mostly private chambers and sitting rooms, they found themselves on the main floor in front of a double gold door. "Our ball room," Mother announced proudly. A staff member who was polishing the outside of the door snapped to attention and reached forward, pushing the doors open to allow the group entrance.

Alexine stepped through, and exclaimed out loud in unexpected pleasure "Oh my Lord, it's beautiful!"

Alexine had expected a room similar to the one where dinner was held the evening before. This room couldn't have ever been dreamed up in her imagination. The area was very large and reminded her somewhat of the Tardis's ability to be much larger on the inside than it seemed on the outside. The room was bordered with lush tropical gardens that didn't seem to notice that they were indoors or that it was winter outside. Dark green foliage reached to the ceiling, sporting brightly colored feather like growths in between the branches. Small waterfalls splashed gaily into their own pools while impossibly delicate flowers grew in between the rocks that seemed to protect them from the large foliage of the trees.

The floor in the center of the room was polished to a glass like shine. A raised area in one corner had staff members busy setting up chairs and equipment, which Alexine assumed were for the musicians. Alcoves that appeared between the gardens had tables already laid with clothes and glasses for the evening's refreshments. Garlands of flowers hung across the ceiling, their intoxicating scent perfuming the air. She stood a couple of steps inside the room, overwhelmed by the beauty and grandness of the ballroom. Tears unexplainably gently crept into her eyes and a pressure on her chest made her feel as if her emotions were overflowing.

Mother approached her and placed her hand on her shoulder, speaking a little louder than normal. "My father designed this. He missed his gardens during winter and sought to bring them into the palace so we could remember the warm months."

She nodded, incapable of speech. There were no superlatives available in her repertoire to adequately describe the beauty of the room. She fantasized for a moment about dancing in this place tonight in a ball gown and wondered if this was really happening. Maybe she was still in her bed on Sandgel, delirious with fever and was dreaming this whole adventure. Her sight slightly blurry, she turned at the pressure from Mother's hands on her shoulders and let her propel her back out of the room.

"There's more of the tour, Alexine," she said with laughter in her voice.

It was admittedly difficult for Alexine to rip her mind away from the experience of the ballroom and concentrate on the narrative that Mother was reciting. She noted the locations of the library and meeting rooms (of which the doors were all snugly closed with staff members on duty outside of them).

They paused at the huge kitchens, which were undergoing a frenzied operation of preparing the refreshments for the days meals and the nights ball. Staying to the sides to keep out of the staff's way, Mother explained that there was a large quantity of people living in the palace that had to be fed several times a day, along with the staff and sentries. The regular dining hall was just off the kitchen, with more practical tables and chairs then what they dined off of last night.

"That's about it for the main parts of the palace," Mother began, signaling that the tour was over.

"Mother, wait. How do you keep it all so comfortable?" Alexine asked, her real reason for the tour now coming to the front of her mind.

"You mean the utilities?" She waved her hand. "They're below level. You don't mean to want to see them too, do you?" A bit of disbelief crept into her voice.

"Mother, I'm fascinated on how to keep large dwellings warm and pumped with water and energy. I've read all about it and would like to see the machinery in action. Can't we take a quick peek? I promise not to touch anything!" She realized that her voice may have seemed a little whiney, but was desperate for her request to be allowed.

Hesitating for just a moment, her natural grace returned and Mother gave an indulgent smile. "Of course, child. Come this way, we'll be going below ground next." Alexine and Aisle dutifully followed Mother into the less habitable part of the palace. There were no busts of dearly departed ancestors here or any tapestries hanging on the wall.

They crept lower until Alexine felt they were at the very base of the mountain. Soon they could hear the noises of machinery, and entered an area that had a walkway around the circumference of the circular room. Staff members were seen walking around the machinery with clipboards, making notations and checking readings. Cable and pipes were gathered up with braces adhered to the walls to keep them off the floor. It was hot, noisy and the air was heavy with dust.

Fanning her hand in front of her face, Mother asked: "Alexine, is this what you wanted to see?"

"Thank you, Mother. I think I have a better understanding now." She replied.

Aisle addressed Alexine. "My education is complete now. A ball room and a utility room in the same walk." Sarcasm dripped through her voice. "Are we done now? I would like to begin my preparations for the ball."

"Of course, I'm sorry to hold you up." Alexine stated.

Mother led them back up to the main area of the palace, and they said their goodbyes in the main entrance. Alexine was able to find her way back to her room and was greeted with chaos when she opened the door.

Strewn about the room was heaps of fabric and boxes. Of course, the ball gowns! She had forgot about this part! Walking over to a fluffy yellow pile, she picked one up and held it against her. Reminding her of the crinolines for the poodle skirt back on the Tardis, the gown poofed out at the bottom half making Alexine think that if she wore that particular gown she would have to keep a wide distance away from anything that she didn't want to knock over. Turning to take in the rest of the room, she gave a startled exclamation at the sight of the Doctor, leaning on the doorjamb, eating an apple and crunching loudly.

"I don't like yellow on you" the Doctor said with his mouth full. "It makes your skin look sallow."

"Doctor!" She exclaimed, tossing down the gown and approaching him. She reached up and wiped the apple bits off his chin.

He raised his hand and touched her face. "Having fun playing Cinderella?"

"You keep talking about Cinderella and forgetting that I don't know who it is," she said.

He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and led her into the adjoining sitting room. "Tell you what. I'll tell you about Cinderella" his voice lowered before he completed his statement "and you tell me about your tour of the palace."

Her eyes met his in acknowledgement that she had completed her task. He nodded towards the staff member that was still present laying out the tea things, and she patiently sat while the Doctor enthusiastically launched into his story of Cinderella, her stepsisters, glass slippers and an intolerable midnight curfew.

The Doctor had a knack for telling stories with such a humorous tone to them that he had Alexine laughing and gasping for breath. "Cinderella and the Prince lived happily ever after, and the stepmother and stepsisters had to work as servants at the castle for the rest of their lives," he ended.

"That's a child's story," Alexine said.

"Maybe. But today it's your story. Minus the step sisters. And the step mother. Well, there's probably not going to be any pumpkins turned into coaches. Or rats. Well, most likely not any glass slippers either. And you can probably stay past midnight. What's more, there's no fairy godmother." Pausing for a moment as if checking that he mentioned all of the disclaimers, he finished with "but there IS a ball and you ARE going in a ball gown!"

"But will Prince Charming dance with me?" She asked shyly.

"No. No Prince Charming. You're stuck with me. It'll be fun! I haven't danced in ages!"

"I've never danced at all," she realized out loud.

"That's easy," he said while jumping up from his chair. He gave a slight bow and held out his hand. "My lady, may I have the honor of this dance?"

"Isn't there supposed to be music?"

"I'll sing."

"Can't miss this!" She sprang up and the Doctor positioned her, placing one of her hands on his shoulder and the other one in his grasp. His free hand wound around her waist, holding her in a position a couple of inches from his body. He started humming. Unfortunately, it was the same song from the two headed opera singer story, so the effect was that she immediately burst into laughter.

"Oi! You can't do that on the dance floor, you'll embarrass me!" he exclaimed.

"If that's the music they're going to play then we're doomed," she pronounced grimly.

"Let's try again." Instead of singing, he started chanting 1-2-3-4, which had the desired effect. Once her feet found the pattern of his lead, he pulled her against him closer and whispered in her ear "while we're dancing, talk soft and tell me about the transformer. Did you find it? I'm pretty sure that we're being watched right now. 1-2-3-4"

The Doctor kept cadence and Alexine whispered in his ear, telling him where the room was located and how it was set up. "What are you going to do?" She asked him, her feet moving more in sync with his as the dancing continued.

"After the ball starts tonight I'm going to go down and see if I can find anything amiss. I need for you to think of an excuse to send me back to the room on an errand for you so that my absence is explained. When I'm done I'll return to you and no one will be the wiser."

The Doctor continued: "the talks today did not go well. Minister Sockren insists that he's not been drilling yet. He said that they have no intention of pulling anything off this planet except for its crystal ore which is badly needed in other parts of the galaxy." At her questioning look he added "it's not a precious mineral here. It's not used for anything except to make gardens pretty. I'm pretty sure he's lying but I need proof. There's a reason he's going after transformers and I need to find out why. The symbols on the cable and the wall match their style of writing."

His whisper lightly tickled her ear and caused a shiver to go down her spine. Pulling away from him slightly, she gazed into his eyes while they ended their dance, nodding slightly to their agreement.

"My lady, allow me to escort you back to your room so you can begin your preparations," the Doctor said, keeping up the childish game. Again holding out his arm, he covered her hand with his when she slipped it through.

At her door, he pulled her to him in a hug, again whispering in her ear. "Where is the message plate from earlier?"

She turned and looked at the maelstrom that her room was at that moment. Hopelessly, she turned back towards him and shrugged her shoulders.

"I suppose that if you can't find it no one else will either," he said. "If you come across it, keep it safe. That isn't meant for anyone else to see."

…………………………………………………………………

Preview: Chapter 15: Midnight

He followed the cable to see if he could dismantle it to give them some time. It wasn't possible. The cable had "kill" switch. If it was cut, the spark ignited. If it was removed, it ignited. The Brethren were prepared to die themselves rather than see this plan be sidelined.

It was about 10:00. That meant he had about two hours to evacuate the palace and the town, because there was enough explosives here to take out the entire mountain.

The Doctor ran.


	15. Midnight

Broken Hearts Still Beat

**Chapter 15: Midnight**

Alexine had never tried on clothes before with the goal of dressing up. On Sandgel, she wore one of her identical tunic and trouser combinations, which had no variety except for the degree of fading from the number of washings the garments had been subject to. The only additional item of clothing that she had was the white cloak, but that wasn't something that she ever wore without specific purpose.

Left with the seemingly impossible task of choosing a ball gown and its matching accessories, she felt very awkward and intimidated. She was on the edge of tears caused by her frustration in not knowing what to do. Remembering Mother's earlier offer of assistance should she need it, Alexine pressed the button that signaled to a member of the resident staff that she required aid.

In a short time, a discreet knock was heard at her door. Alexine opened it, ushering in a male attendant. "How may I help you ma'am?" He said, looking around at the wreck of her living space.

"I don't know what to do," her tears spilling over, trying not to sound as hopeless as she felt. "I don't know how these match up," she swept her arm across the room, indicating the piles of garments and accessories. "Is there someone that can help me?" She pleaded.

"I'll send help, ma'am. Just hold on." He slipped out of her room and she collapsed on the bed, still sniffling a little.

After a short while, in which Alexine fell backwards on the bed and spent the time staring at the ceiling, her door opened at the same time it was being knocked upon and a wonderful sight met her eyes as she sat up. Mother was there!

"What's wrong, child?" She inquired.

The gentle tears that had spilled now came out in a torrent. "I don't know what to do! I've never had to do this before and I don't have any books with me and I don't know where anything goes!" Her sentences ran together as her lack of self-assurance made itself obvious.

Gentle arms closed around her, rocking her gently. "Shhh. It's not such a disaster. We'll get you together. Stop your tears now. It's only a dress." Alexine had never been held by a mother figure before, had never had the comfort that another woman could bring. It felt so natural and comforting that the reason why the comfort was offered to begin with was soon forgotten.

"Better now?" Mother asked when the tears subsided. "Sometimes what we really need is just a moment to let our tears be spent." She brushed back the hair from Alexine's face in a tender gesture. "Now, go wash this pretty face of yours. We'll have to hurry if you're going to make your entrance in time!"

Jumping up, Alexine rushed to do as she was told, feeling better and trusting that she was in good hands.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

There was a pounding on her door, causing both Alexine and Mother to jump.

"Alexine! Are you ready?" The Doctor boomed.

"I'll handle this," Mother said to Alexine, crossing the room and opening the door just a bit. "Doctor, I'll escort Alexine to the ballroom. You go on, join the ministers. We'll be down shortly."

Alexine heard the Doctor agree, and turned again to the mirror that she was standing in front of. Mother had transformed her! Her golden brown hair, always casually left down or at the most tied in the back of her head with a ribbon or string, was now arranged on top of her head in an intricate style of braids and twists. Some of it cascaded down her back in a river of curls. Interwoven between the braids was golden ribbon that matched the ribbon that adorned the bodice of the gown that she was clothed in. The gown itself was made of a breezy fabric that flowed about her at her slightest step. The color was a rich cream that shimmered lightly with the movement. Delicate embroidery adorned the sleeves that reached to just below her elbows and was repeated on the bottom part of the skirt. Mother had found matching slippers that she was assured were "made" for dancing.

Mother came up behind her, peering over her shoulder at her Alexine's reflection in the mirror. "Do you feel beautiful?" She asked.

Barely perceptibly, she answered "yes."

"There's nothing more seductive than a woman who feels beautiful. The Doctor doesn't stand a chance," Mother said.

Alexine blushed at Mother's words. "I just hope I don't step on his feet or spill something," she said.

"Nonsense. Have some trust." Mother winked. "I have faith in you. Now you have some! Come and sit with me for a little while."

"We're ready, shouldn't we leave?"

"No."

"But we'll be late!" Alexine cried.

"That's the point," Mother replied. "Trust me."

Alexine excused herself for a moment, and going into the bathing chamber, pulled out the message plate that she had tucked into her bodice. She found it while she had been dressing, and discreetly tucked it in, hoping to get it to a safer place unseen. She slipped it into the little bag that matched her dress before returning to her room with the purse in her hand.

"Make sure you put some lip balm in there," Mother said as they were finally gathering their things to leave. "You have your gloves? Yes? Put them on!"

Alexine put the small purse down, lip balm smartly tucked into it, and picked up the gloves. They were much different than the cold weather gear gloves that the Doctor had to help her with. These were colored to match her gown, and instead of being thick with layering were silky and thin. They did, however, have quite a bit more fabric as they meant to cover the entire arm up to just below the elbow. She tried. She really tried. But the problems were even worse with these. She just couldn't get the fingers in the corresponding slots and became hopelessly tangled.

"Mother!" She cried. "Help, please!"

Mother reached over and took the gloves from her, shaking them out and holding them up for Alexine to slide her hands into. Watching carefully, she decided that the problem was that she wasn't able to hold them and slide into them the way it happened when someone else did the holding. As long as she didn't take them off during the night she would be ok.

"Now…handkerchief? Lip balm? Scent? All tucked away? Good, let's go then!" Mother pronounced. She didn't notice Alexine pause at the door and drop her purse onto the chair next to the door before closing it.

Her stomach in a knot, they finally began their descent from her room into the ballroom.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

The Doctor stood with Minister Sockren and Lead Elder Pranis at the end of the ballroom, listening to them discussing a small point about the treaty, whether Pranis would allow sampling to be performed on the lands to the west of the palace, where Parakemble's farms were located.

Pranis felt that there was no need to bother since mining would never be allowed on the farm land. Minister Sockren thought that Pranis was being closed minded. He felt that a decision shouldn't be made unless they knew all the facts.

The Doctor was sick of this same conversation, which he expected was a smoke screen to keep them distracted from what was really going on anyway, something that he hoped to get to the bottom of this night.

"Is that Alexine with my mother?" Pranis asked.

The Doctor looked up at the entrance to the ballroom, his hearts leaping out of his chest. She was breathtaking! He watched her pause in the entrance, looking around, presumably for him. His glass was handed off to Pranis without ever taking his eyes off her, unaware of the smirk that Pranis gave him. He moved across the room, not seeing anyone except his Alexine.

"He's never going to look at the Princess of the Water Nebula again," Pranis said under his breath. "

"Was that HIM?" Minister Sockren asked, eyes wide. "I've heard about that!"

"Let's make our first treaty, then," Pranis said. "Let's agree not to mention it."

Minister Sockren held out his arm. "I agree – our first treaty!" And they grasped each others arms, for the first time finding a tiny piece of common ground.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Alexine entered the ballroom, again overwhelmed by the beauty and sheer magnificence of it. She looked around nervously for the Doctor, pausing in the entranceway to gather her bearings. Mother squeezed her arm and wandered away from her, leaving her standing there alone. Just as her anxiety was about to start rising, a movement caught her eye and when she looked up, her eyes meeting the Doctors as he made his way across the room to her. She went forward, her eyes locked with his, meeting him in the middle of the dance floor.

She stood before him, her heart beating wildly, taking him in. He was dressed in what he would later call a tuxedo. It was cut a little differently from his regular suit that he wore, but was black with a pristine white shirt under it. He wore a white cloth around his neck, tied in a knot that left ends of the cloth tucked into his tuxedo jacket. They stood before each other, both staring into the other's eyes, frozen in time until Pranis's cough brought them back into the ballroom.

"The musicians are giving me the signal to start. Minister Sockren is ready as am I. Are you ready as well Doctor?"

"Yes, now that my date is here." The Doctor replied.

Pranis nodded at the musicians, who picked up their instruments. He and Minister Sockren grasped each others arms momentarily before turning away and finding their dance partners. Aisle was with the Minister, and Mother was with Pranis. Alexine and the Doctor faced each other as well, all three couples in the center of the ballroom. The musicians began the melody, and the three males bowed low to their partners before gathering them up in their arms and beginning the dance.

Alexine felt as if she were floating a couple of inches above the floor. The Doctor was the most handsome man she had ever seen! But what flustered her the most was the look in his eyes. What she saw she could only describe with one word. Sincerity. It was warm and comforting and protecting and all of the things that she had never realized she craved. He kept his gaze on her, a partial smile on his lips. His hand on her waist was firm as he guided her around the dance floor, his steps as they had practiced earlier in the sitting room.

"I think we're lucky with the choice of music," he said to her.

Smiling at her earlier reaction to his singing, she agreed. "I hope that song isn't in their repertoire," she added.

"It's played in a different galaxy. We should be safe."

They continued around the room, and Alexine noticed that other couples were now joining in as well. When the dance was finished, the Doctor brought her to one of the tables inside the alcove for refreshments. He held up a delicate looking glass, his eyebrows raised in an unspoken question. Alexine eyed the glass of wick nectar and shook her head no. The Doctor, chuckling, put down the glass and picked up another one. "Sparkling water with fruit juice. No potent qualities at all. Safe for children!" He proclaimed after sniffing then tasting the substance. He handed the glass to her and together they walked over to one of the gardens.

"You look beautiful, Alexine." He said reverently.

She looked down for a moment, suddenly feeling shy. He lifted her face by placing his fingers under her chin, "Just like Cinderella."

Laughing a bit, she said "I feel like her. And I even got to dance with Prince Charming!"

"I have something for you." He reached into his pocket and took out a small box. Inside there was a pendant suspended on a golden chain that was impossibly thin. The pendant followed the outline of a star and was tinted the faintest pink.

"Where did you get that?" She gasped. "It's beautiful!"

"Pranis helped. It's more than a pretty piece of jewelry though. It's a locator. It's synched up with my screwdriver. If you're within range of me, I'll be able to tell where by pressing a couple of buttons." His voice dropped to a lower volume. "I'll be able to find you."

He twirled his finger, signaling her to turn around. She held up her hair, and he placed the chain around her neck, working the clasp so that it was firmly fixed. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear "I'll always find you. I promise."

She snapped around, tears in her eyes, and replied: "I'll always want you to. I promise."

"Did you remember to forget something?" He asked softly, looking about at who might be around them.

"My bag. It has my lip balm and scent and handkerchief. All of my necessities for the evening, so Mother has said. Oh, and Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"It also has the message plate in it."

"Good girl! And where is the bag?"

"On the chair just inside my door." She replied.

A bit louder he said: "Ok, Alexine, I'll go get it for you. He turned and acknowledged Pranis who was walking towards them. "Pranis, Alexine's forgot her bag in her room. I'm going to run up and get it. Can you dance with her? Is it allowed?" He asked.

Pranis said, "It's pretty much assumed that not much in the way of clandestine treaty sabotage will occur during a ball. It will be my pleasure to dance with her."

"I'll be right back." He pointed his finger in her face "stay out of trouble!"

"Hurry back," Alexine said, trying hard to hide her concern over the true intent of his errand.

"He'll probably be back before we can finish our first dance!" Pranis said. He snaked his arm around her waist, and lifting her slightly off the floor, twirled her around in a complete circle, putting her down again on the edge of the dance floor. Her head dizzy with the suddenness of the movement, she placed her hand on the shoulder that was considerable higher than the Doctor's was, and concentrated on the movements of the strange body that was dancing with her.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

The Doctor ran up the stairs to Alexine's room and grabbed the small bag that was on the chair, slipping it into the pocket inside his jacket. Cautiously climbing down the back stairs that Alexine had instructed him to go, he rapidly made his way down into the bowels of the palace where the transformer did its work. He found his target without passing anyone else in the hallway.

Slipping through the entrance of the utility room, he crouched down behind a barrel that was standing close to the walkway that had been described to him.

He saw the staff members going about their duties, taking readings and writing them down on the clipboards. Nothing seemed amiss and the Doctor was just beginning to think that he was on the wrong track when one of them turned around and the Doctor realized that this man wasn't from Parakemble, he was a member of the Brethren!

The man finished writing on the clipboard and yelled out a warning to someone that was on the walkway level above the Doctor. He tossed the clipboard up which must have been successfully caught as the Doctor didn't hear it hit anything on its way down. The unseen person above him called down: "When will it be ready? The Minister wants it done at midnight."

"Look at the calculations. It's ready now. Tell the Minister that we'll hit the switch at midnight, for him to be ready. It's going to be a big one, this transformer has a lot of pressure behind it!"

"I'll go tell him now," the disembodied voice said. Footsteps were heard which quickly faded as they traversed away from the Doctor's position.

The impersonated staff member called out to his fellow workers: "Get ready to evacuate. Everyone is to leave. Where is the distance control?" Another man walked up to him and handed him a small box. "Ok. Everyone out! We'll hit it from the other side of the mountain at midnight. Leave now if you don't want to die!" The room was quickly emptied, leaving the Doctor alone behind his barrel.

He waited a couple of minutes to make sure there was no further noise from the room to indicate the presence of anyone who may have stayed behind. Feeling confident that he was alone, he came out from his hiding place and approached the transformer.

It was humming and sending energy through, as it should have. Something obviously was going to happen here at midnight, and the Doctor wanted to find out what it was. He concentrated on following the cables, looking for one like he found in the tunnel to give him a clue.

After searching for what seemed like an eternity, he finally found it. It was well hidden to the side of a conduit, tucked into the crevice where the conduit met the transformer. He pried it out carefully with his screwdriver and followed its source. His blood froze in his veins when he realized where it led.

Most civilizations had means to blow things up. Sometimes they needed to smash rocks or mountains, or enlarge a pool of water, or destroy their enemies. Blowing things was an act that was frequently performed. But this…..this was wrong. The cable led under the transformer to an area packed with highly explosive mining packs. This stuff was illegal in most galaxies as once it was set it couldn't be withdrawn. There was no counter, no disarm. Once the protective seal between the chemicals was removed, there was going to be an explosion. Period. It could be prompted with a small electrical charge, all it needed was a spark. But even without the spark, it was just a matter of time until the chemical components created their own spark. There was nothing he could do. If it wasn't down so deep in the palace he may have had a slim chance of moving it to a location where it would do less damage, but the situation was hopeless.

"Oh Pranis I'm so sorry." He said to himself.

He followed the cable to see if he could dismantle it to give them some time. It wasn't possible. The cable had a "kill" switch. If it was cut, the spark ignited. If it was removed, it ignited. The Brethren were prepared to die themselves rather than see this plan be sidelined.

It was about 10:00. That meant he had about two hours to evacuate the palace and the town, because there was enough explosives here to take out the entire mountain.

The Doctor ran.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Alexine asked for a rest after the very enthusiastic dance led by Pranis. Catching her breath, she found a bench nestled between two lush bushes and gratefully lowered herself into it, gathering the folds of her gown around her.

After just a moment, she overheard a voice behind the bush that was on the other side of the stately garden calling out in an exaggerated whisper: "Minister Sockren! Over here!"

She pressed herself back even further so she wouldn't be seen, wondering if the Doctor would approve of her taking advantage of a 'snooping' opportunity.

"Is it done?" The Minister's voice said.

"Yes. The explosives will activate at midnight, just as you ordered."

"Evacuate our people from the mountain. Tell my wife to be ready to leave at my signal. And tell them to be careful not to dislodge the blast packs in the tunnel when they pass them."

"Yes sir."

Alexine's heart started thumping with the realization of what she just overheard. She had to find the Doctor!" She scrambled off the bench, only to be grabbed when she had taken but a few steps.

"You haven't danced with me yet. Where are you going?" The Minister's voice growled in her ear. He walked backwards into the garden that she had just left, one hand covering her mouth and the other one pining her arms to her side. Another member of the Brethren was waiting, and held up a small vial with a pump on top of it. He sprayed it in her face and everything went black.

.............................................................................................................................................................................................

Chapter 16: Safe In Your Arms

"Doctor" Pranis said, impatience leaking through his voice. "There's not enough time to go back to check."

"She would go back for me," he said.

"I can't let you go back."

The Doctor pulled himself up straight and looked into Pranis's eyes. "You can't stop me."

Pranis reacted with the speed of a lightening bolt. His fist reached up and slammed the Doctor in the side of the head. The Doctor fell like a sack of rocks. Reaching down, he picked up the Doctor and the screwdriver that had fallen with him, threw him over his shoulder and resumed his run. "Yes I can. But I don't have the time to discuss it."


	16. Safe In Your Arms

Broken Hearts Still Beat

Chapter 16: Safe In Your Arms

The Doctor raced into the ballroom, aware that he was alarming some of the attendees with his barely controlled entrance. His eyes sought out Pranis, who was already heading in his direction, sensing that something was wrong.

When Pranis met him in the center of the room, the Doctor, gasping for breath after his crucial run, shouted out the highlights of his message. At least the parts that everyone needed to know to start acting. "Bomb. Transformer. Midnight. Evacuate!" He yelled.

There was a silent pause in the ballroom as if everyone was waiting for someone else to act first. In one wave, the attendees headed towards the entrance, panic immediately erupting. "Get off the mountain!" The Doctor yelled. "Get as far away as you can!"

"Everyone meet at the farms!" Pranis's voice boomed. "You'll be safe there." Turning towards the Doctor, he said "My friend…you have good reason to evacuate the mountain?"

"Come with me. Minister Sockren! You need to be with us as well." The Minister was just coming out of a small garden, adjusting his clothing.

"I must see to my wife, Doctor."

Chaos had broken out around them. The front entrance could no longer be seen with the swarm of people exiting at the same time.

Hissing while he spoke, the Doctor grabbed the minister by the front of his armor and said: "But you know that your wife will be fine. She already has transportation arranged. Tell me, Minister. Do you think she'll wait for YOU?" With that, he let go of the Minister's armor. The Minister abruptly turned and strode away, his long legs covering the distance to the entrance quickly, pushing numerous people out of his way.

As Pranis led the Doctor in their race out of the room through a side door, the Doctor yelled: "Where's Alexine?"

Pranis stopped abruptly, looking around desperately. He didn't see Mother, either.

"Mother and Alexine must have left together!" He yelled above the noise.

They ran through the palace, once again going below to the utility area. The Doctor burst into the room holding the transformer, and showed the explosives and the kill switch to Pranis. While they were standing there looking at it with disbelief, the Doctor repeated the conversation he had heard between the two Brethren.

"That would explain why they disappeared so quickly when you ordered the evacuation," Pranis said. "They knew they were found out."

"And they still get what they want!" The Doctor hissed, viciously slapping his hand on the wall.

"All of this to mine some rock," Pranis said bitterly.

"Not just rock. It's the thermal energy underground. That's the real prize for them. And based on the intensity that the Minister was insisting that you test the farm community lands, I would bet that's where they're heading. He looked at Pranis, the moment forever frozen in his thousand year old memory. "I can't stop this, my friend." Pranis nodded.

"But we can stop the loss of life," he continued. "How do we get word to the town?"

Pranis took just one more minute looking at the transformer and the explosives before turning around and began the trek back up into the main part of the palace.

"I need a message plate, damn it!" Pranis yelled in frustration.

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out Alexine's bag. Opening it, he easily found the message plate and handed it to Pranis as they were running.

"How do you do that?" He said, shaking his head.

"Do what?"

"Always have whatever is needed. Like before, on the Water Nebula."

The Doctor shrugged. "Dumb luck, I suppose."

"Whatever it is, it's about to save a LOT of lives!"

They reached the end of the hallway that opened up into the main part of the palace. The Doctor, now winded thoroughly from his two trips, bent over, his hands on his knees, gulping big breaths of air. The palace itself was much quieter, the main part of the crowd already heading down the path of the mountain, still dressed in their ball finery.

Pranis inserted the message plate into the slot next to the panel by the main entrance. He flipped open the panel, and touched a couple of buttons on the bottom of the monitor. The light came on, and he spoke:

"People of Parakemble. Tonight a terrible evil has entered our lives. We must leave our homes immediately! Possessions are not important. Items can be replaced, but you, my beloved friends, cannot be. Leave at once. Flee down the mountain and join the residents from the palace at the farming community. We'll be safe there and will decide how to proceed. Leave NOW! In a short time, the mountain will be destroyed and all that are still on it destroyed with it. The palace is under evacuation. NO ONE will be staying. My friends," he said in a calmer voice, "please. Together we can get through this. We owe it to each other to stay alive. Take your families and leave NOW."

The Doctor for the first time, witnessed the leadership of his young friend. Pranis sent the message, turned off the monitor, and rested his forehead on it. His eyes were screwed shut in pain. He automatically ejected the message plate and put it in his pocket, the lack of necessity not yet registering with him.

He turned his face towards the Doctor and with heartbreaking pain, he said "all that we are mean nothing to The Brethren. They think that just because something exists, that they are entitled to it. They care NOTHING about the people or the pain they are causing." He stood straighter, then, as if coming to a conclusion. "We must stop them. We must tell them NO. We must not die."

The Doctor took the couple of steps to stand in front of his friend. Grasping his arm, and Pranis returning the gesture, they stood there for a moment, steeling their resolve at the task in front of them.

"So it shall be." The Doctor responded, using the words from the Circle of Elders to affirm a truth. "Let's go."

Together, they entered the courtyard, scooping up some outerwear that had thankfully had been left on the tables. Quickly pulling the clothing on, they turned and once again broke into a run, this time on the path down through the town, off the mountain.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

The quiet was deafening to Alexine as she rested from her struggles. Her hands were tied behind her back by some cord that had once decorated the refreshment table. A scarf from the same table was tightly tied across her mouth, rendering her incapable of calling out for help. Her feet were also tied together, stopping her from getting up off the ground. She was tucked away behind some of the largest of the plants growing in the ballroom. She had come to awhile ago, hearing only the occasional distant running footsteps until the communication monitors flared to life, the panels automatically opening. She hadn't even realized they were in the ballroom until they turned on.

She heard Pranis's plea to the people to evacuate the town. That would explain the quiet. The Doctor must have discovered the same plans that she herself had overheard and got everyone out. She breathed a sigh of relief. Thank the Lord that the people would be safe! She thought of the kindness of Mother and the friendship between Pranis and the Doctor. Those lives were the important ones to survive. The three of them will bring everyone forward into a new life.

Alexine had a single tear roll down her cheek. She wasn't so important to this after all, she thought. She got to play Cinderella and look pretty, and when the action started, she was trussed up behind a plant. She had so desperately wanted to be useful, to have a different purpose.

She had not chosen her life on Parakemble and didn't know who had chosen it for her. But this part of it, traveling with the Doctor and helping Pranis and his people, this part she HAD chosen. And she wanted it to count.

Her lone tear was soon, despite her best efforts not to, joined by others. She had no idea how much time had passed, or how much was left. After all she had done, after all the people that she had helped to go home, she was going to die alone on a strange mountain on a foreign world in a borrowed dress. And she will never see her Doctor again.

She tried to be brave, but she trembled. She tried to call up her years alone in the cottage, where the solitude was peaceful, but she only felt alone. She tried to call up the smoke so she could perform her own death ritual, but without the cloak it was elusive.

The tears were now falling freely as she felt the terror taking control of her body. She just found out how to live and now she was going to die. She had just found love. It wasn't fair! She moaned in agony. He kissed her! No one had ever kissed her before. He held her and she had felt cherished. How could she be given that gift, only to have it snatched so cruelly from her?

Her mind started quickly going through the scenes of the past couple of weeks. The scenes jumped about from the historical order, seemingly pausing on random moments. Mother sitting on the bed with her, her arms wrapped around, giving comfort. Being blindfolded by the Doctor while he fed her chocolate ice cream. Their pink planet, and the euphoric feeling she had after realizing that the cloak had let her leave. Pranis's face close to hers, telling her that he would challenge for her himself if he had the chance. The control room of the Tardis. Sissy's tears streaming down her face, begging the Doctor to help her father.

The scenes started cycling quicker. Being tickled by a feather. Having tea in the desert. Blue biscuits with honey from Pompeii. Poodle skirt. The Doctor pulling her gloves up for her. Dancing in the sitting room. Looking out the window for the first time and seeing her pink planet. The tunnel in the mountain.

Her reverie slammed to an abrupt halt. The tunnel in the mountain. It had to be kept dark. Why did it have to be kept dark? So no one could see. What? What could no one see? Something was dancing in the peripheral of her brain. She thought back to her first trip through the tunnel, when they first came from the Tardis. She had problems with her footing on the first third of the tunnel. She was walking closest to the wall of the tunnel, holding the Doctor's hand. He helped her a couple of times because she almost slipped.

When she and the Doctor went back to the tunnel, they only went halfway through to where the transformer was. They didn't go back the remaining distance. The packs in the tunnel! Minister Sockren said to be careful no one dislodged the packs in the tunnel! No one knew they were there except for the Brethren. Now she was frantic. When it was only her life in jeopardy, she was able to sit back and wait for the end. But not when it was the Doctor's life! She renewed her struggles, starting a new mantra in her head. She needed her Doctor. She had to get to her Doctor. Over and over again she repeated the words in her mind while she worked her body into a feverish pitch trying to dislodge the bindings.

A rumble far below the palace heralded the stroke of midnight. And like all Cinderella stories, on the stroke of midnight….she vanished.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

The Doctor and Pranis reached the tunnel and raced through it. The townspeople were up ahead of them, and leading them should be the people from the palace. Checking the screwdriver for the readout on how much time was left, he saw that they would never clear the tunnel in time. Pausing for just a moment, he pushed the buttons to verify the presence of Alexine. Not getting a reading, he hit it against his palm to shake it up. Checking it again, he saw that it still did not register a reading. He stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong? Don't stop now!" Pranis yelled, jogging back to his friend.

"I can't find Alexine." The Doctor said.

"She's up ahead with Mother. We were the last ones out of the palace."

"She's not registering. Remember that pendant that you helped me with? I put it on her myself earlier. It's not showing up."

"She's probably out of range. They were with the first wave out of the ballroom. We were more than an hour behind them."

"You're probably right," The Doctor mused. He looked back towards the palace. "I wish I could be sure."

"Doctor" Pranis said, impatience leaking through his voice. "There's not enough time to go back to check."

"She would go back for me," he said.

"I can't let you go back."

The Doctor pulled himself up straight and looked into Pranis's eyes. "You can't stop me."

Pranis reacted with the speed of a lightening bolt. His fist reached up and slammed the Doctor in the side of the head. The Doctor fell like a sack of rocks. Reaching down, he picked up the Doctor and the screwdriver that had fallen with him, threw him over his shoulder and resumed his run.

"Yes I can. But I don't have the time to discuss it."

Pranis finally caught up with some of his people at the area where the tunnel transformer was. There was a bit of a traffic jam as some of the townspeople had brought items with them that was slowing everyone down. Putting the Doctor down gently, he squeezed between some carts and tried to reason with the crowd.

"Abandon these items and flee! When the morning comes, if the tunnel is still standing, you can come back for them. People are going to die if you don't clear this bottleneck! With his words, the crowd dutifully started stacking their possessions up against the walls of the tunnel, shuffling off towards the far entrance.

At the sound of Pranis's voice, several sentries that were slightly ahead turned around to join their Lead Elder. As grateful as he was to see them, he gave them a mild reprimand. "You men should be up ahead with your families," he said.

"Lead Elder Pranis," one of them bowed slightly. Out of force of habit, Pranis returned the gesture. "Thank you for your concern. Our families are already past the tunnel and almost to the farming community. We came back for you."

Placing his hand on his arm, Pranis responded with a grateful voice, "Thank you. The Doctor is unconscious and I need help to get him to safety."

"Was there a battle?" One asked.

"Not as such, no. I'm just faster than him." The only chuckle that was heard for these past few hours was elicited in response to that line. The seriousness of the situation quickly came back.

"We have only a few minutes until midnight, Lead Elder."

"Everyone in the tunnel!" Pranis immediately raised his voice to the maximum level. "Run!" He heard screams up ahead and hoped that they would get out in time.

"Sir, we need to find shelter."

"Look around. Do you have any suggestions?" Pranis asked.

A beeping sound started. Startled, Pranis pulled the Doctor's sonic screwdriver from his pocket. "No time. Sit."

Pranis crossed his legs next to the Doctor, holding the beeping screwdriver in his hand. The Doctor moaned and sat up. "You hit me!" He said, looking at Pranis.

"I have no apologies. You're beeping." He handed the screwdriver to the Doctor.

"It's almost here. Have you found Mother or Alexine?"

"I'm sure they're long gone, Doctor. Most of the people are past the tunnel entrance now."

They both watched the flashing light as it counted down. "I wish I knew for certain where she was," he said.

A rumbling could be heard in the distance. The Doctor and Pranis shared a look. "It's been an honor, Doctor." Pranis said. The Doctor nodded.

"It will be even more of an honor when I get even for your sucker punch," The Doctor said.

A glow appeared in front of the Doctor. While the rumble was growing louder and the lights in the tunnel started swaying, the glow took form and a weight pressed down on the Doctor's legs. With a disbelieving look on their faces, the Doctor and Pranis witnessed Alexine appearing on the Doctor's lap. Her hands and feet were tied and there was a scarf across her mouth. The Doctor ripped it down, screaming "No! You were supposed to be safe!"

"I am now. I 'm with you." She said simply.

He wrapped his arms around her as the tunnel started shaking. Bending over her, he tried to protect her from the bulk of the rocks that were falling. A loud explosion was heard and the tunnel filled with dust. The sound of falling dirt and rock could be heard all over, as were screams from those that didn't quite make it out. The part of the tunnel closest to the far exit collapsed, brought down by the explosives that the Brethren had placed against the tunnel walls in the darkness.

It seemed to take forever for the trembling walls to still. The lights were all out, leaving them in darkness. Moans were heard from the injured, and the group in front of the transformer door were unnaturally quiet.

..................................................................................................................................................

**Chapter 17: Protected**

"This is proof."

"Proof of what?" She asked.

"That angels exist. But I didn't know…" he trailed off, his eyes closing.

"What? What didn't you know?" She softly asked.

The eyes opened for one last sentence before closing again with finality: "That angels ate ice cream."

……………………………………………………………………………………………


	17. Protected

Broken Hearts Still Beat

**Chapter 17: Protected**

Alexine squirmed under the weight of the Doctor, her still tied hands not helping her. She coughed the dust out of her lungs.

"Pranis!" Alexine called out. "Help me!"

"Where are you?"

"Under the Doctor" she replied.

Pranis was next to the Doctor, but pointed in the opposite direction. It took a while for him to get his bearings and turn himself around. Climbing up to his knees, he found the Doctor's body and lifted him off of Alexine.

"I can't move – the ropes." She said.

In the darkness, Pranis searched for Alexine. Once he found her head he was able to trace her arms to the tie and start working the knot. "I need a torch here!" He yelled.

Silence met his demand, broken only by Alexine's coughs. The silence was terrifying to both Pranis and Alexine. Realizing that he was on his own for now, he renewed his attempts to untie the knot that she presented to him while laying on her side. After more than a few moments of struggle, it finally came free.

Slowly, Alexine moved her arms around to the front of her body, pain rushing forward with the returning circulation. She sat up and reached for her ankles, to begin working those ties next.

Pranis turned towards the Doctor, finding his neck and checking his pulse. "He's alive, Alexine," he proclaimed.

Her exhale of relief was audible.

Pranis started patting the ground around the Doctor. "The last thing that I saw before you appeared was the Doctor looking at the readings on the screwdriver. It's got to be close – help me find it."

He found it underneath the Doctor's foot. He held it in his hand, and pressed the button on the lower tip, knowing from other adventures that the only thing the button did was provide a small light.

The power that a light will bring to a desperate darkness will give even the damned a glimpse of hope.

Pranis turned the light to the Doctor, checking to see what injury rendered him unconscious. He didn't have to look very long until he saw the blood on the Doctor's head, seeping quickly from a nasty gash from where a rock struck him.

"Alexine – we need to put pressure on this to stop the bleeding."

She rapidly peeled off one of the gloves that she still wore, and folding it, pressed it to the sight that Pranis had illuminated with the light from the screwdriver.

"Press on it hard, it might stop the bleeding." She nodded, not aware that in the darkness the gesture was futile.

She heard Pranis moving about and saw an occasional flash as the tiny light from the screwdriver crossed her field of vision. Pulling the Doctor up, Alexine rested his back against the front of her as she sat against the wall. She wrapped her arm around him, more to capture his warmth than to support him.

A ball gown wasn't warm attire for a night in the tunnel, and the cold was starting to seep into her body. She kept silent about her situation, knowing that there was nothing that could be done for it. Keeping her other hand dutifully pressing on his injury, she hoped that the bleeding would stop soon.

Moans could now be heard from nearby. Pranis started talking in a soft voice to someone, who was answering with grunts and single syllable answers. Some scuffling was heard before Pranis's distinct voice said "Take it slow. You're going to be ok." Other voices were soon joining in, soft and raspy. More coughs joined the chorus, signaling the survival of their owners.

Alexine was grateful that there were others alive. She remembered seeing several men in sentry uniforms sitting on the floor of the cave on the other side of Pranis in those seconds in between when she appeared in the tunnel and the subsequent explosions and collapse.

"How's he doing, Alexine?" Pranis called out from the darkness.

"He's not waking up!" She responded, the anxiety in her voice coming through.

"I can't see a damned thing! No one grabbed a torch?" Pranis yelled.

"Pranis! I know where torches are!" Alexine called out to him.

"Can we get to them?"

"I think so. Where is the door to the transformer? Are we past it?"

"Alexine do you know what to look for?"

"Shine the light on the walls. There's some writing on the wall, about as high up as your chest. The Doctor knocked on the wall to next to it and we heard hollow sounds. I'm not sure how he opened the door, though."

Pranis followed her instructions and Alexine soon heard him rapping on the tunnel wall. A moment later he called out to her "Ok, I have the door open. Where are the torches?"

"On the floor just inside the door."

A moment later, Alexine was rewarded with a soft glowing beam of light indicating where Pranis was standing. He walked over to her, wincing when he saw the amount of blood on the Doctor's coat. He shined the light on Alexine, noting the fear that was apparent in her eyes.

"Hey, he said, placing his hand on hers." The Doctor and I have been in tighter jams than this. We'll get you out."

Tears sprang into her eyes, blurring her vision. "I just want him to be ok," she whispered.

He squeezed her hand briefly. "As do I."

He reached over and felt the Doctor's pulse in his neck. "His hearts are not in sync - that's not a good sign." Pranis stood up again. "I'm going down the tunnel to see if there's a way out down here." He put the other torch in her hand. "The power in the torch won't last long. Only use it if you have to." He turned and trotted down the tunnel, the darkness returning with the removal of his torchlight.

Alexine heard the other men as they helped each other up and tended to each other's injuries. She kept her grip on the Doctor, trying to ignore the shivers that were now racking her body. The hand that she had wrapped around him snaked in between the buttons of the heavy coat and past the shirt that was wet with his blood, seeking warmth under the layers. As her fingers found skin, she flattened her hand against his chest. She was able to feel the movement as the hearts in his chest beat, pulsing with his lifeblood.

She rested her cheek on the back of his head, willing him to wake up. She was shivering with fright and cold, it was dark and she felt alone although there were others only a couple of feet away.

"Don't leave me," she whispered, the hot tears continuous in their journey down her cheeks.

They sat like that for a long time, Alexine holding the Doctor while his blood continued to pour out of his wound.

Pranis gave a yell from further down the tunnel, and Alexine heard the other men stumbling in the dark as they blindly made their way to join him.

Silence reverberated through the tunnel. Her eyes desperately tried to pick up any pinprick of light to focus on. Even the darkest nights in a moonless sky on Sandgel had shadows cast by a soft glow. This blackness was suffocating. It felt evil.

Her eyes, as though willing it, snapped to an area in front of her that gave off the smallest of glows. The golden light was barely perceptible but Alexine focused on it.

Her shaking increased to where her hand could no longer hold itself against his warm chest. It slipped out of the entrance that it had created, choosing instead to grasp at his wet coat to hold on to. It was then that Alexine realized that although she was shaking hard from the cold, the majority of the shuddering wasn't coming from her. It was the Doctor – and it was building into a convulsion.

The glow began growing with both brightness and area that it covered. It was his hands! His hands were glowing and shaking! Alexine didn't think it was possible to become any more terrified than what she was already. She screamed for Pranis, but didn't know if he heard her.

She couldn't keep him up as he slipped lower down her front and was more on the ground of the tunnel than in between her limbs. Still she held her arms around him, refusing to let go.

The glow of his hands was now spreading throughout his body. His neck and then his head were encased with the blindingly bright light. It lit up the tunnel, showing all of the piles of rocks and dirt strewn around them. He threw his head back then, and his arms and the rest of him became rigid with the abrupt ending of the convulsions. The light exploded from inside of him, and Alexine closed her eyes against it, still refusing to let go of him. Whatever was happening would happen to both of them.

The light ended as if someone threw a switch. The Doctor's body let go of its rigor, immediately sinking down across Alexine's legs. Her arms, aching from the burden of the last few minutes, felt like she had no muscles at all left. Again plunged into darkness, she listened to the even breathing of the Doctor and the answering ragged breathing of her own lungs while her eyes once again adjusted to the darkness.

Pranis was heard before his torch, bobbing in the distance, was seen. He was yelling Alexine's and the Doctor's name with a voice filled with anxiety. After shining the beam from the torch into her face and in a quick circle around them, he threw himself down on the ground next to her, pulling her into his shoulder with relief. "What happened? We saw the light and heard your scream."

"I don't know - something happened. He was having a convulsion, then there was a bright light, then he went rigid and then it all just stopped." She felt as if the shaking would never end, as if her body was going to come apart at the joints from it.

"Hey," Pranis said, pulling back from her. He again shined the torch beam in her face, and down her front. "You don't have cold weather clothing! Alexine, why didn't you say? You're almost frozen!" He pulled down his hood and unwound the scarf from around his neck, wrapping it around hers.

Alexine reveled in the feel of the cloth, still holding the warmth of Pranis's body. He called out to the sentries behind them, and they all started passing up different parts of their gear. A thermal shirt, a vest, the lining from a coat and a hat was quickly piled on her lap. She started pulling these items on over her ball gown, the layers immediately doing their job as her shaking subsided.

"Don't ask where these came from," Pranis said as he handed her a pair of thermal trousers.

Alexine hesitated, a protest forming in her mouth before realizing that she was not in the position for modesty. The trousers were ridiculously too long on her, and she pulled the gold ribbon from her hair to wear as a belt, bunching up the waist of the trousers under her gown. She was sure that she looked ludicrous in the ensemble, but as the goosebumps on her skin finally smoothed down a bit, she didn't care about the way she looked, only the warmth that she was enveloped in.

Now that her immediate needs were taken care of, she again turned her attention to the Doctor. He laid still this whole time on the floor of the tunnel. Pranis was squatting down by his head, his torch running over the Doctor's hair, which seemed surprisingly light colored in the darkness of the tunnel.

Alexine sat down next to Pranis, and he immediately moved the torch beam away from the Doctor.

"Alexine," he said, "How much has the Doctor told you about himself?"

"I know that he's a Time Lord and he's over 1000 years old."

"Has he told you what he has to do to live so long?"

A feeling of inexplicable dread started building in Alexine's stomach. "No," she said carefully.

"He has to do something that's called regenerating. It means his body dies and a new one takes its place."

"Does it hurt?" She asked in a small voice.

"I don't know." Pranis answered.

"Ok, he regenerates. Why?"

"He was hurt very badly, Alexine."

Tears again were forming in her eyes, burning with their mission. "What did he do?"

"He's regenerated. It means that the Doctor that you knew is gone."

"He died?" She wailed.

"No, that's what I'm trying to tell you. Instead of dying, he regenerated."

"I don't understand!"

"He's different now. He looks different, he'll sound different, and although he'll be the same man you've known, at the same time he'll be different."

Her tears now were accompanied by silent gulps. She wanted to bury her head in the Doctor's chest and to feel his arms around her. "Will he remember me?"

"Yes, child. I'm sure he'll remember you. But we need to let him rest." Pranis looked up at the men that were with him and addressed them. "We know we can't get out that way, but neither can anyone come in. We need to scope out the other end of the tunnel. It's possible that we can find passage over the mountain, if any of it still stands."

To Alexine Pranis said, "stay here with the Doctor and keep him calm. There's some abandoned carts just up ahead. I'm going to check before I leave to see if there's anything you can use in them. We'll keep watch throughout the night and come back for you after dawn. He won't be of any use to anyone before then."

"What if the Brethren come?" She asked in a small voice.

"I swear to you, we won't let them pass." He grabbed her shoulders and quickly kissed her forehead. "You are protected."

Pranis disappeared for a couple of moments, but returned quickly to get a couple of his men. Alexine heard something being dragged. Pranis turned the torch on again briefly, illuminating a cart that had some crates, barrels and bundles piled on it. He climbed onto it, and moved the items to the side making room on the floor. One of his men lifted the Doctor's legs and another one his torso, and together they laid him in the cart.

"This will keep him warmer, up off the floor. There's fabric that you can use as blankets, and some bread. We'll be back for breakfast." With that, Pranis jumped off the front of the cart, and again, he and his men walked away from Alexine and the Doctor.

Using the torch sparingly, she found the cloths and turned to drape them over the Doctor. That's when the meaning of Pranis's words made sense. Inside the cart was a stranger!

This man was considerably larger than her Doctor. His hair was blonde, and even in the faded light she could see freckles across his skin. His hair was much longer, but the biggest difference was in his face. Her Doctor was beautiful. He had boyish features that matched his borderline hyper personality. The man, this new Doctor, had a square jaw and a firm mouth. His cheekbones were high and chiseled. This man was fierce looking, as if a single look from him would stop the Brethren in their tracks.

She ran her hand down his cheek. The skin was soft and firm. Young. She tugged a lock of his hair in her ungloved hand. It was thick and slightly coarse. While she was intent on her silent inspection, the eyes partially opened and a different voice spoke.

"This is proof."

"Proof of what?" She asked.

"That angels exist. But I didn't know…" he trailed off, his eyes closing.

"What? What didn't you know?" She softly asked.

The eyes opened for one last sentence before closing again with finality: "That angels ate ice cream."

...................................................................................................

A/N – I'll be going into witness protection now. If you want to contact me, please leave a review.

**Chapter 18: Dawn**

Squinting at the light of the sunrise, Alexine looked about her and saw the total destruction that the explosion had wrought. The palace was a rubble of glinting rock. Not a single dwelling was still standing, and the beautiful paths were non existent. Here and there a green branch stuck out through the rubble marking the place where a courtyard had stood. The devastation was catastrophic.


	18. Dawn

Broken Hearts Still Beat

Chapter 18: Dawn

The time passed in the quietness of the tunnel. Alexine laid down next the new Doctor and worked her way under the blankets to share his body heat. She fell into a light sleep but kept waking it seemed every few moments to check that they were ok.

Eventually her body succumbed to exhaustion and she rested fully. The tunnel stayed silent and still. The sentries at the open end guarded the occupants from the threats of the night. In the distance, tumbling rocks could still be heard from the remnants of the mountain as it settled into its new contour.

Alexine woke to warmth and comfort. She felt large strong arms around her, cradling her upper body within them. Her cheek was rested on a hard chest that had two perfectly synched heartbeats resonating with vibrancy. Remembering the nightmare of the prior night, she gingerly worked her way out of the arms and scooted down to the end of the cart.

"It's still night" the strange voice said softly.

"I don't know. The tunnel is always dark…how can you tell?"

"The readings on my screwdriver." As he said that, the screwdriver gave off a soft blue glow, illuminating the area immediately surrounding the cart. "Pranis used the wrong setting," was all he offered on the difference in the lamp. "Where is he?"

"He's at the end of the tunnel keeping watch. He said he would come back at dawn, and that I was to let you rest."

"Did he see me?"

"Yes. He explained to me about regeneration."

"Have you seen me?"

"Not clearly. But I picked up on the highlights."

"I didn't get a chance to tell you about this. I'm so sorry. I'll be different. But I'm the same person. I have the same memories and the same feelings."

"Is the only change physical?"

"No, it's a little more than that. Usually an attitude change comes along with it. A bit of a switch in personalities."

He worked his way down to the end of the cart where she was standing. "Alexine. I can't promise that things will still be exactly the same between us. But my feelings haven't changed."

"You'll still travel?"

"Still travel? Alexine….of course I'll still travel! And I'll still bring you with me! I don't think you understand exactly the nature of regeneration."

His hand squeezed her shoulder, but to her even that felt different. She couldn't help it. Her heart was breaking. She felt like she lost something that was so incredibly precious that she would never find it again. She wiped away at the tears on her face, sick of them. She'd done nothing but cry for a while now, it seemed.

"Oh, for Pete's sake. Alexine!" He forcibly turned her around to face him, put his arms around her and kissed her. This wasn't a fast wet noisy kiss. This one was real. It took her a moment, but her hands eventually crept up and surrounded him, and her body melted into his, accepting him. He kissed her until he felt that she got his message.

"There. NOW do you believe it's me?" He asked.

"Hmmmm…hmmmm. 'S you. Ok. Got it. Doctor." She wore a dazed expression on her face, as if coherent thought was beyond her ability at that moment. Which it was.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

The Doctor gathered her to him, holding her while he re-adjusted himself to how she felt to these new arms. He glanced down and looked at his arms. They were HUGE! The shirt that he had on under the coat was tight and binding. His wrists stuck out of the sleeves, too long to be properly covered anymore. He moved his head, popping the bones in his neck. They too felt different. He didn't know what he looked like, but this was a major change. Usually the biggest change was his face, hair and voice. This time, it seemed to be a tremendous physique change. He smirked to himself. This will be fun!

He saw something on his shoulder, and peering down, realized that it was blonde hair. Oh, he thought with a bit of disappointment. I'm still not ginger. He always wanted to be ginger. Well, blondes were supposed to have more fun. He was ok with blonde. But what was with the length? He looked like a Viking! He'd have to borrow ribbons from Alexine at this rate! A haircut was definitely on the top of the list. His thoughts paused as he remembered where he was. Top of the list….right below finding Pranis, kicking the Brethren off of Parakemble, stabilizing the mountain and helping Pranis relocate his people. After that, a haircut, definitely was in order.

He would have to wait until he could find a mirror to see his full reflection. After his last regeneration he had made a point to collect more clothing from the different places he visited. He hoped he had something in this size! Alexine stirred in his embrace and he tenderly kissed the top of her head. To these new eyes, she was even more beautiful. Her scent filled him and he wondered why he had been resisting his feelings towards her to begin with. Rose was gone. It was time he moved on.

"Did you say that there was food somewhere?" His voice broke the silence. He gave a quick cough to clear his throat because his voice was deeper than he was used to hearing.

"Pranis saw some in the crates."

He hopped back onto the cart, rummaging through the crates. He found some more flat bread, and broke off a piece, handing it to Alexine. He started chewing, the dry bread sticking in his throat. "No tea?"

Alexine put her bread down and walked a couple of paces away from the cart suddenly seeming in a contemplative mood. "I think I know why the tunnel had to be dark" she said.

The Doctor was all ears. "Why?"

"There's explosives in packs down the other end, up against the walls. But I think they already detonated last night. Pranis said the tunnel was caved in down there. I was trying to find you to tell you when Minister Sockren grabbed me." She looked up at him then, her face faintly visible in the soft blue light. "I wanted to be helpful."

He jumped down again, and approached her. "Alexine. If it weren't for you, do you know how many people would have died last night? Because of you, I knew where to look. I would never had found that transformer room in time! You were the one who had Mother lead you to it. And now you've discovered the mystery of the dark tunnel. You're brilliant, you know."

She snorted. "Fat lot of good my mystery solving did. I got back too late to do anything about it."

He deliberately changed the subject to get her mind off of the explosion. "How did you get back? That's the second time you've just 'appeared' in front of me. How are you doing that? Alexine, what did you do?"

"I was saying in my mind over and over again that I had to get to you. And then I was here."

"Alexine," he said, choosing his words carefully so he wouldn't alarm her. "I think you can develop this to happen at will. Thank how helpful THAT would be."

"No. It's not possible."

"Yet it's happened twice now."

"How can that be helpful?"

"Well for one, you can pop into the Tardis and get me something."

She looked up at him slowly, as if dreading what he was asking of her.

"What do you need?"

"A proper lantern for one. Tea maybe. A change of clothes for both of us. And you can be out of danger."

"No." She shook her head emphatically. "I want to stay with you."

"Can you at least get us some tea?"

………………………………………………………………………………………….

The smile that looked at her now wasn't the one that she was used to. She should have seen an impish smile that dared her to deny his request. This smile had lost its silliness. What it had instead, though, was sincerity. She wasn't being teased into taking a challenge. She was being given a choice.

"I don't know how to try," she replied.

"Alexine, think. Both times that you appeared you were in desperate situations and you kept repeating a phrase over and over. Try 'I need to get to the Tardis' and see what that does. And if it works, say 'I need to get to the Doctor' to come back."

She nodded her head at him, and sat down on the tunnel floor. Holding her knees, she closed her eyes and started repeating 'I need to get to the Tardis'. Over and over she said it, rocking back and forth. She felt a rush of emotion as frustration was taking over. Her words coming faster and their desperate situation fueled her determination. And suddenly the air felt different.

She opened her eyes, and screamed with joy. She was on the Tardis! It was sitting here where they had landed, humming softly with life, waiting for them. She dashed into the galley and pressed the water lever to start the tea, then ran into her chambers to get the now ragged ball gown off. The quickest thing for her to grab was her tunic and trousers from Sandgel, hanging in the closet alone waiting for her.

She entered the bathing chamber and looked in the mirror at the dirt that was covering her. She debated and decided that she couldn't take the time for a proper bath, but she splashed some water on her face, neck and arms and give herself a quick rub off, hoping that most of the dirt was gone.

Picking up her brush, she quickly brushed out the remnants of her curls, and spying her ribbon on the counter, picked it up. She hesitated with it in her hand, flashing back to the Doctor handing it to her in the control room and the subsequent confrontation that had resulted.

She quickly braided her long hair and tied it off at the end with the white ribbon. After dressing at break neck speed, she ran up the circular stairs to the closet and picked out warm clothes for her and the Doctor's new body, hoping that the large size that she found would fit him.

She stopped in the galley and grabbed the thermos and stuffed her pockets with the energy bars that were in a drawer. She had grabbed the torches from the equipment locker earlier, along with other miscellaneous things that she thought they would need. She stuffed all of the items in a sack and sat down on the floor in the galley, beginning her chant to get back to the Doctor.

This time it was much easier to go. She closed her eyes and thought of where the Doctor was and how she needed to bring him his tea. When she arrived in the darkness, she jumped up and threw her arms around him in celebration. He lifted her off the ground, and twirled her around, reminiscent of their first celebration together on the pink planet when she found her freedom.

Alexine dumped out the sack onto the floor and started handing him clothing. He disappeared into the darkness for a couple of minutes, and while he was gone she ripped open an energy bar and sipped at some blessedly hot tea.

"Was everything OK on the Tardis?" The Doctor asked as he came back into the light, a different set of clothes and cold weather gear on.

"She's humming and waiting for your return!" Alexine replied.

He sat down and helped himself to breakfast. As he was chewing, he said with a serious tone to his voice: "I don't think we should tell anyone what you can do."

"Why not?"

"It's a fantastic weapon and the surprise may be needed dealing with either side."

"Agreed." She replied.

"Also…you do realize that it's not a talent found very much in any galaxy. In fact, I've never known any creature to just disappear and reappear without mechanical help."

"I did it all the time with the white cloak."

"Maybe it wasn't the cloak." He said.

She had no words to answer that statement with.

"How much time until dawn?" She asked.

The Doctor consulted his screwdriver. "Very soon. Then we'll see what damage was done."

"What will you do about the Brethren?" She asked.

"Stop them."

Alexine felt a chill travel down her spine at the tone of his voice. "How can I help?"

"We'll plan when Pranis gets here. In fact, I think I see his torch now."

The friends were reunited with bear hugs and slaps on the back. Alexine handed out energy bars and tea to the men while Pranis and the Doctor caught up with each other.

"You just couldn't stand it…you had to go and make yourself the same size as me." Pranis was teasing the Doctor. "You were afraid that Alexine would prefer me to your scrawny self and you evened the playing field!"

"Well, someone has to give you a run for your money. You're too cocky."

Pranis turned towards Alexine to reach for a cup of tea, but froze with it halfway up to his lips. "You've changed." Was all he said. He raised an eyebrow while looking at her.

"I uh – I – " she looked at the Doctor for help. He had just said that he wanted to keep this a secret!

"I found some clothes for her in that crate," the Doctor said.

"And some for yourself as well?" Pranis replied, nodding towards the change out of the blood soaked tuxedo.

"Yes."

"You two are something else. Life or death situation here, trapped all night in a half collapsed tunnel, mountain blown up over your heads, Brethren trying to kill everyone, and you take time to get naked."

Alexine wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.

The Doctor interjected: "And make tea," as he held up his tea cup.

Pranis and his men all burst into laughter, mostly at the embarrassed look that Alexine was sporting. It quickly dispersed, however, and they sat down to plan out their next move.

"From what we could see, the mountain has been demolished. We think that we can walk on top of the tunnel supports here and take the same route as the tunnel and come out on the other side. There was no evidence of anything left alive on this side so we shouldn't run into anyone." Pranis spoke with authority and his men were nodding their heads in agreement with the plan.

"Do you need to rest?" Alexine asked him.

"Not until I find Mother and the rest of them." He answered. "I will not rest until I see her again."

They finished their respite, and leaving the now empty thermos in the tunnel, they began the familiar hike towards the exit. As they walked, they adjusted their hoods and scarves, preparing for the assault from the cold. Alexine took her gloves out of her pocket and this time was able to pull them on. She saw the Doctor looking at her and she winked at him. He smiled and reached over to her and tugged on her braid in a gesture of approval.

Squinting at the light of the sunrise, Alexine looked about her and saw the total destruction that the explosion had wrought. The palace was a rubble of glinting rock. Not a single dwelling was still standing, and the beautiful paths were non existent. Here and there a green branch stuck out through the rubble marking the place where a courtyard had stood. The devastation was catastrophic.

They made their way over the rubble, climbed onto the top of the tunnel and started around what was left of their side of the mountain, all of them quiet and humbled. The Doctor walked with Alexine, holding her hand and hoisting her over the rock piles with ease, his new incarnation easily suited for this role.

Chapter 19: Trapped

Faster than he had expected, the light on the top of the Tardis flashed 3 times. No one else seemed to notice, then again no one else knew to watch for it. The Doctor held up his screwdriver and pressed some buttons, pointing it at the Tardis when he was done.

After a couple of sessions of flashing light and button pressing, the engines of the Tardis started up with their trademark whir. At the edge of the valley, in the middle of the circle of Brethren, the Tardis vanished!

129


	19. Trapped

**Chapter 19: Trapped**

The small group tenuously picked their way down the path that on top of the tunnel to take advantage of the sturdy supports that were installed when the tunnel was first excavated.

The morning air was frigid but blissfully free of the dust that had clung to it the night before when Pranis had arrived at the tunnel entrance. During the night, the area had settled and the land now lay still before them.

The group moved as quickly as they could, each silent with his own thoughts on what they would find on the other side of the mountain. The tunnel had been designed to ease the traveler's journey as they passed between the town and the farming communities, and without it the passage was slow and dangerous.

The explosion had thrown up crevices that split the mountain's face like a cracked piece of pottery. Trees were tilted at crazy angles or down on the ground altogether. Some of these trees were older than the people, and had grown to tremendous circumferences. Several times they had to be scaled using some rope that Pranis had found in the cart, their progress being slowed even more every time they had to hoist each other over the trees.

They were immune to the coldness because of the physical exertion, but Alexine had a difficult time with catching her breath.

"The air is thin and dry this high up," Pranis explained. "You need to rest for a moment."

"How far away are the farm communities?" She asked, once again falling into the habit of having to pull down her scarf from the front of her face to speak.

"The Tardis is parked on the edge of the fields. We'll be able to look down on the area when we get to the end of this pass. We're almost there. Can you hang in there for us?"

Alexine nodded. The physical exertion was taking its toll on her. She wasn't used to this kind of exercise, and her entire body felt as if it was weak compared to the vitality of the men. She felt small which was a foreign sentiment to her.

Pranis pulled her up and brushed some snow off of her back. "We can't linger long, I'm sorry." He signaled to his men, who all started getting back on their feet to begin anew their trek.

The trip on top of the tunnel lasted more than twice as long as their original hike when they first arrived on Parakemble. Eventually though they knew they reached the other side when Pranis stopped abruptly and held his arm out to the side to prevent anyone for continuing. He held his finger to his lips to signal silence before he cautiously peered over the top of the tunnel, down to the valley below.

The Tardis sat at the far end, up against a line of trees that were laden with snow. Beyond the trees, expansive flat lands could be seen with low buildings dotting the area, and smoke stacks spitting out clouds of white smoke.

Figures could be seen moving in the distance, tiny dots too far away to make out any specifics or to determine what they were doing. What COULD be seen, however, was the circle of Brethren that surrounded the Tardis, weapons in their hands. A small camp was set up close by.

Pranis crept back to the group. "Doctor the Brethren have surrounded the Tardis. There is no way we can approach it without being seen. There's more. They're heavily armed." He turned to one of the sentries from the palace that had been by his side from when they first approached him in the tunnel the night before. "What firepower do we have?"

"Lead Elder Pranis, all we have on us is our side arms from the sentry hut. We have a little charge in them, but not much."

Pranis again addressed the Doctor, a grim look on his face "It's not good."

"Alexine," the Doctor said, his eyes not moving away from the scene he was spying on. "Are you up for a trip?"

"I think so," she said, knowing what type of trip the Doctor was referring to.

"Come here then." When Alexine approached him, he bent over and whispered instructions in her ear. Deliberately keeping the message from anyone else's hearing, he asked her to repeat back to him what he said to her to make sure she understood. When she was finished in turn whispering to him, he kissed her on the nose and said "Our lives are in your hands. I think it's a good place to be."

With that he turned her around and gave her a light tap on her bottom, signaling her that it was time to move. Without looking at anyone, Alexine adjusted her scarf back on her face and took off at a trot back the way they came.

"Doctor! Where is she going?" Pranis whispered urgently, still trying to not call attention to them from the group guarding the Tardis.

"She needs a moment. Girl stuff." The Doctor replied.

Alexine made her way back awhile before she was sure she wasn't being followed. She jumped off the exposed tunnel roof and climbed for a short time up the mountainside. Stopping in a grove of trees, she sat down under one and began telling herself "I need to get in the Tardis. I need to get in the Tardis."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Where is Alexine?" Pranis asked the Doctor several moments later when she failed to return.

"Don't worry about her."

"Where did you send her?" His voice rose slightly as worry crept into it.

"Pranis, my friend." The Doctor faced him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I would rather die than send her into harm."

"Yet you brought her here."

The truth of Pranis's words hit the Doctor in the gut. It was happening all over again. Find a girl, bring her along on his travels, put her in danger and hope for the best. Throw in some tender feelings and he had again set himself up for yet another round in the pattern of disaster that was his life.

He turned away from Pranis, unable to answer his statement with anything that would justify what he had done. His mind went into overdrive, and the plan that he had just laid out to Alexine went out of his mind and a new one quickly replaced it. He needed to get her to safety.

Faster than he had expected, the light on the top of the Tardis flashed 3 times. No one else seemed to notice, then again no one else knew to watch for it. The Doctor held up his screwdriver and pressed some buttons, pointing it at the Tardis when he was done.

After a couple of sessions of flashing light and button pressing, the engines of the Tardis started up with their trademark whir. At the edge of the valley, in the middle of the circle of Brethren, the Tardis vanished!

The Brethren started yelling and running about before turning and running out of the valley. The Doctor was grinning and turned to Pranis, who stood there stunned. "She's gone. I sent her away."

"You can't operate the Tardis without someone inside of it. Even I know that, Pranis said."

"But someone was inside. Alexine. And now she's gone."

"How did she get there?" Pranis asked. We were all watching it! No one approached!"

"It's a secret. If I told you…"

"You won't have to kill me. I'm going to wind up killing you instead! Don't keep any more secrets from me. Not if you want to get out of this alive." Pranis was half amused, half angry by the tone of his voice.

The Doctor nodded. "No more secrets up my sleeve, I promise. Now, let's get going before they come back."

Pranis nodded and turned. "We need to cross the valley into the trees before they come back! Hurry!"

Without Alexine with them to slow them down, they all broke into a run, efficiently breaking through the snow and traversing at a fast pace.

When they reached the trees, the Doctor turned back, and pointing his screwdriver, sent a blast of energy towards the mountain, causing the snow and rock to tumble down the pass and covering up the evidence of their presence. While they hid in the trees catching their breath, he looked up skyward, silently sending his apologies, knowing that she was safe.

Pranis and the Doctor mapped out their strategy. They were able to see now that they were closer to where everyone was located. They saw the mineshafts that were illegally dug into the farmland and the robots that were being hovered into the shaft.

This was going to end.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

In the farming community, the citizens of Parakemble were huddled together in the long buildings that were used for harvesting the crops. The Brethren were guarding them, their treaty negotiation manners gone. Mother sat in the middle, several women and children around her. Minister Sockren sat in a chair at the other end of the room watching her.

"She's the surrogate ruler now", he said to his wife who was next to him. "She's the Lead Elder's mother and all of the other Elders are deferring to her."

Aisle nodded her understanding of her husband's statement. "Sockren, when do we leave? This planet is too cold!" She whined.

Minister Sockren called over one of the Brethren who was standing close to the door. "How long until we can finish this? My wife grows cold!"

He was answered with a bow first. "Minister, the shafts have been drilled. The transport ship has arrived and has sent down the robots. We should begin very shortly."

"Minister Sockren!" Mother's strong voice could be heard over the brief discussion. "Why have you done this?"

The Minister stood up and walked to her, standing in front of her looking down. "You want to know? Most don't. They just want us to assure that we'll leave them alive when we're done." He squatted down, bringing himself to her level.

"For the record, when we leave, your people for the most part will be alive. What happens to you afterwards is none of my concern. Your planet has an incredible supply of thermal energy underneath the crust of your farmland. And it's very easy to transport. We don't have to dig up rock or move dirt. We only have to drill and pump it directly into the ship. When we're finished, we'll leave."

"But we agreed not to mine on the farm community's lands!" She protested.

"Madame," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "We never AGREED to anything. Your son, if you remember, refused to even allow the testing here. We did it anyway, and imagine our surprise when we found it to be the richest source ever found in the galaxy!"

"We were willing to trade, but he wanted to keep it for himself. So we take. It doesn't matter. In the end, the ship's belly will be full and we'll be gone."

"And our planet dies," Mother said in horror, the full realization of the depletion of the thermal energy dawning on her.

"Everything dies eventually." He shrugged his shoulders and after standing up, he turned to his wife.

"Time to go!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Alexine appeared in the Tardis, happy that it was almost effortless this time. She stripped off her cold weather clothing and approached the control panel, rubbing her hands together to get the circulation back. She followed the Doctor's instructions and flipped the lever that he had indicated would turn on the remote access before going to the door and peeking out a hair.

The Brethren were standing with their backs to the Tardis, making it impossible for anyone to approach without being challenged. Gently she latched the door again, and reached for the switch next to it, flipping it up and down three times. She walked back to the control panel and sat back, watching dials turn and levers flip by themselves. The engines started up and she felt the mildest sensation of motion, expecting the touch down to follow quickly.

The Doctor's plans were that she would turn on the remote switch so that he could operate the Tardis from the ledge sending the signal through the screwdriver. He would then move the Tardis to their location so that they could take advantage of the resources located within. It was however, taking much longer to move the distance than she thought it would. Walking over to the window panel, she flipped it aside so she could see.

She was in space, hovering above the planet. Her hands clenched into fists as she hit the wall on either side of the panel, screaming with frustration. He would do this! She quickly sat down, crossing her legs and started her Doctor mantra. Over and over again she chanted, until she was hoarse, "I need to go to the Doctor."

Nothing happened.

No amount of crying or screaming of kicking would dislodge her from the safety of the Tardis. She hit the controls, trying to move the levers so the Tardis would go back down. More times than she could count she sat down and tried again to appear back on Parakemble.

Nothing happened.

After an eternity of time, she realized that she was truly trapped by the Doctor. She lay on her side on the floor in the control room, too exhausted and hoarse to even cry anymore. She lay there, whimpering, wondering if she would ever see him again. The weakness that she had experienced earlier in the day seemed to be creeping into her soul.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Pranis led the group of men silently through the tree line around the edges of the growing area. They kept within the tree line, moving low and surely towards the low flat buildings. They were now close enough to be able to hear the conversations taking place between the groups and were able to discern that they were about to start the loading process for the thermal energy.

The Doctor and Pranis met each other's eyes silently through the break in the trees and nodded. That said it all. Good luck, good bye, let's go, I love you, I had the time of my life. It said everything that needed to be said.

They had very few weapons and a minimal of men. The situation was hopeless, but the people from the town and the palace were in that building along with the Elders and Mother. They would all go down fighting.

"Everyone take your final moment, then we go." Pranis announced solemnly.

The men dropped down to one knee, bowing their heads and speaking silently, their lips moving. Pranis did the same, and the Doctor looked around, himself the only one still standing. While the others looked down, the Doctor looked up.

I never told her, he thought to himself. I never told her I loved her. His regeneration was only hours old, but still he felt his hearts break. She'll never know if I don't tell her. I can't make that mistake again.

He took his screwdriver out of his pocket and touched some controls. He pressed a button and pointed it towards the sky. At least she'll know.

Pranis stood up and they all faced each other. "We all know where to go. If we fail, Parakemble and all on her will die. Doctor? You wanted to go first?"

"Thanks. I'm going to talk to them. It probably won't do any good, but I have to give them a chance to stop."

"It's your time to waste, my friend. Good luck." Pranis grabbed his arm briefly in a final gesture.

The Doctor headed towards the open field, walking at a brisk pace towards the buildings where Minister Sockren was.

................................................................................................................

**Chapter 20: Negotiations**

Pranis watched while the some of the Brethren ran and jumped into transports that immediately took off. Their guards gone, the doors to the hall opened and some of the Elders cautiously started coming out.

"No! Get back in!" Pranis yelled. He saw Mother come out between two of the Elders, her face anxiously searching for her son. "Mother! NO!" He yelled, instinctively taking a step towards her.


	20. Negotiations

Broken Hearts Still Beat

**Chapter 20: Negotiations**

The sight of the Doctor crossing the field was magnificent to the few who witnessed it. His regenerated body took long purposeful strides as he left his comrades in the tree line behind him. Several members of The Brethren approached him but quickly fell back at one look at his face. He progressed unchallenged across the field, his hood and scarf off his face and his coat unbuttoned, flapping at his sides.

He strode with deliberate steps to the front of the building and without a single hesitation opened the doors and went in to the large hall. The doors slammed into the walls on either side, creating a loud bang that made the inhabitants of the room jump.

Minister Sockren was just ushering his wife down the length of the hall when the Doctor entered. They both stopped in their tracks, a look of surprise on their face. "Who are you?" Asked the Minister.

The Doctor stood there, silent, for a long enough moment for all the people in the hall to begin whispering. Mother stood slowly, staring at the significant being standing just inside of the doorway. She alone recognized the long haired warrior as the Time Lord.

"Minister you lied to me. I hate it when I'm lied to." The Doctor warned.

"I've never spoke to you before so I don't know how you could believe that," The Minister replied. "Who are you? And where do you come from?"

If it were possible, the man grew even bigger as he drew in a breath to answer with a booming voice: "But we have met before. Several times in fact. I'm from Gallifrey and I'm a Time Lord. You call me The Doctor."

The Minister did not intimidate easily and replied. "The Doctor I know is a different man. You lie!"

The Doctor started taking steps towards the Minister, emphasizing his words with his steps. "You told me that you hadn't started mining yet. You told me that you had NO INTENTION" these words were shouted "of taking anything except crystal ore. I am giving you one chance and one chance only to stop what you're doing, turn around and leave this planet."

The Minister stood there, open mouthed, staring at him.

"NOW" he shouted.

Grabbing his wife's arm, the Minister scrambled around the Doctor, not turning his back to him, and scurried out the front door of the hall.

"I was afraid that would be your answer," The Doctor sighed.

He turned to leave, throwing over his shoulder, "Mother, Pranis is fine. He'll be here in a minute. Lock these doors – I don't want anyone coming outside until this is done." As he exited the building, he heard the doors close behind him and the locking mechanism slid into place. The Minister was outright running now, dragging his wife behind him.

"He looked so fierce before," The Doctor said to himself.

He looked towards the tree line and nodded. Pranis came out with his men. While the Doctor was in the hall, Pranis had been busy! Several members of The Brethren walked in front of them, hands over their heads. Pranis and a couple of his men had the Brethren's weapons trained on their backs.

The Doctor kept walking over to where the mine was dug. He looked down it, an eternally deep well dug into the bowels of the planet. Robots were seen flitting about alongside the walls, tending to duties that had been programmed into them.

One of the men in front of Pranis made a break for it and started running away. Pranis aimed his weapon at his back.

"Pranis, no! He's unarmed!" The Doctor yelled.

"So is my mother," Pranis answered, anger in his voice. But when he fired, it was a warning shot into the air.

The shot captured the attention of the Brethren contingent. "We have company!" The Doctor yelled.

Chaos broke out as the Brethren ran to the front of the hall and met Pranis and his men. The Doctor turned his attention to the mine and the equipment around it that was ready to drain this planet. He heard the equipment turn on as if flipped from a remote, and saw a beam come down from the sky directly into the mine. The energy was being mined in front of him – he had to figure out how to turn off this equipment!

Pranis and his men were physically equal to the brutal Brethrens. They were outnumbered, but they were fighting for their families and not for profit. That made them much more dangerous.

He followed the trail of the equipment to see if he could find its power source. Remembering the two transformers that he had already discovered the sabotage on, he looked for the cable that was present before. This time he was at the destination, and needed to trace it back to its source.

He crawled under the equipment and there was barely being enough room for him to squeeze in. He examined it from the top, and pulled some panels off to peek at it from the inside. He couldn't find the cable that was feeding the equipment.

There was some lettering on a pliable sign that was stuck on the front of the motor, giving some instruction that the Doctor didn't recognize. It matched the type of symbols that he had seen before and that were on the cable. He pulled it out of his pocket, glad that he had transferred everything when he had changed clothes. He unrolled it a bit to look at it again and compared it to the sign.

Around him, the two factions were fighting for their lives. Some of the men in the hall had overpowered some of the Brethren that were close, and added their weapons to the mix. The battle was not quite so one sided anymore, but still it seemed like it needed a miracle to be won.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

The beeping finally broke through the haze of Alexine's mind. It was persistent. She pulled herself up and immediately saw the blinking light on the control panel. Approaching it, she saw writing. Blinking through her tears to focus her eyesight, the message converged into meaning.

Alexine – I love you. I couldn't leave without telling you. I love you.

She sat down on the chair, stunned. He loved her. She wasn't even sure who he was anymore, but he loved her. She remembered his kisses and remembered his arms around her and how she felt when he entered the room. The inability to form a coherent sentence when he kissed her. The laughter at his silliness. The half smile that never left her face when she was thinking of him. That was love! She loved him!

The wonderment of it all soon left with a whoosh of reality. He was going to be killed. She stared at the control panel and the flashing message, not knowing what to do.

And for the first time, she was grateful when she saw the white cloak as it materialized in front of her. Energized, she jumped up and grabbed it, and swung it around her shoulders, yanking the hood up.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

The Doctor stared at the symbols on the cable and at the sign. He then exhaled, thinking himself the stupidest person in the galaxy. The Tardis will interpret! He adjusted his screwdriver and pointed it up again. The symbols on the sign changed, forming letters and words. Basically, it said transformer is to the left.

He looked towards the building that was currently housing Pranis's people and remembered with horror the kill switch on the transformer in the palace and the explosives both underneath it and placed in the cave. He ran as fast as he could towards the hall.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Pranis was gaining ground but it was bloody. The Brethren were shooting to kill and he had already lost one of his men. He saw the Doctor running back towards the hall but couldn't assist him as they were pinned down by the outmatched gun power.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

The Doctor rounded the corner of the building, skidding in the snow as he came to a halt. The transformer was there, humming in its efficiency. Underneath there was the same explosives that he had seen at the palace, but this time he could reach them. He took off the bag that Alexine had filled on the Tardis and dumped it out, then carefully started placing the packs of explosives into the bag. It took him a while to complete his task, but luckily they all fit. He carefully lifted the bag, inspiration coming to him as he viewed the fighting now fully involved.

He again used his long legs to travel quickly to the mine. Gingerly putting the sack of explosives down, he looked down into the shaft. The robots were still going about their tasks, gingerly balancing on some cross beams that stretched between the walls of the mine. He grabbed the transformer panels that were on the ground, putting the bag of explosives on it. Knowing that if he missed he would not have a second chance, he got down on the ground and braced himself, putting his hands on the edge of the transformer panel.

Looking up to judge where the edge of the beam was that was transporting the thermal energy up into the ship, the Doctor pushed the transformer cover and its dangerous contents directly into the beam. As it tipped into the mine, he jumped back and up onto his feet in a graceful move, then turned around and ran for his life.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Minister Sockren and his wife were on back on the ship. He was checking the reports and was satisfied that the thermal energy was being brought aboard despite the problems on the ground. "This was a good trip," he said to his wife, a grin displayed on his bumpy face.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Pranis watched while the some of the Brethren ran and jumped into transports that immediately took off. Their guards gone, the doors to the hall opened and some of the Elders cautiously started coming out.

"No! Get back in!" Pranis yelled. He saw Mother come out between two of the Elders, her face anxiously searching for her son. "Mother! NO!" He yelled, instinctively taking a step towards her.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

At that moment, an explosion erupted at the mine. The transport beam that was bringing the thermal energy up into the transport ship flamed, and the flame rapidly followed the beam up into the sky. As an explosion greater than the one that brought down the mountain the night before ignited high in the sky, and the transformer next to the mine shaft also exploded, sending shrapnel out in all directions.

Everyone on the ground instinctively ducked, covering their heads. It took a couple of moments for them to acknowledge when the explosion was finished. The Doctor had been thrown by the exploding mine shaft, and had landed more gently than could have been expected in a soft bank of snow. He fought his way upright and surveyed the area.

The people in front of the hall seemed OK. Mother was helping the other Elders back up on their feet, none the worse for wear. The remaining Brethren were standing still, looking up at the sky, their faces frozen in shock. He followed the direction of their eyes and saw flaming debris flying across the sky. "Alexine, he whispered. Make a wish."

He glanced behind him at the remains of the mine shaft, now blissfully still and quiet. He was sure that there was enough thermal energy left to sustain the planet. His eyes searched for Pranis and he saw that not all of the smoke had cleared yet.

Turning towards Mother, who was still searching the area for her son, he felt the blood drain from his face in the delayed reaction of what he just saw. There was no smoke.

Screaming "NO" at the top of his lungs, he ran towards the smoke and launched himself at it.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

As always, it was quiet in the smoke. Alexine kneeled next to Pranis, gently stroking his forehead. His eyes were locked with hers as she murmured comforting words. His hands were on his stomach, holding the piece of shrapnel that had impaled him. The situation gave her flashbacks to Jared, the little boy who had fallen in the pit on Sandgel.

"I just remembered where I've heard your name before." Pranis gasped.

"Where?"

"My mother's religious books. On our planet it means 'envoy of the deity'. Alexine, you're an angel. A real angel."

"I don't feel much like an angel right now, she said softly."

"That's because you don't see yourself." He coughed then, blood erupting out of his mouth. "You're glowing. And your voice is not singular, it's a chorus."

"How do you feel?"

"I'll be honest, I've felt better." He coughed again, the blood spraying over both of them. "That was a hell of a fight. Did the Doctor win?"

"The Doctor always wins," her still soft voice replied.

"He loves you. You know that, right?"

"Yes, he told me."

"He told you? He's a changed man." The coughing left him gasping for breath.

"Pranis, do you know why I'm here?"

His eyes were calm as they gazed into hers. "I think so, yes. I'm going to die, right?"

"Yes."

"And you're here to give me one last beautiful thing to look at?"

She couldn't help herself. She smiled. "Not exactly. Are you ready?"

"One favor, please" his voice was getting very weak. "Tell the Doctor that he was my brother. Tell him I loved him. And tell Mother that I loved her as well and I'll be with father now."

"I'll tell them." Alexine's tears were once again running down her face.

"I have an angel crying for me. I must have done something right."

She put her hand on his chest and another one on his cheek. Her throat was burning and almost too tight for the words to form.

"Pranis, he loves you. He's waiting for you to come home. It's time to go."

His eyes gently closed, the last breath left his body, and Pranis was gone. Alexine's body slumped forward onto his, exhaustion leaving her unable to cry.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The Doctor stumbled through the smoke, landing on the ground next to Pranis and Alexine. He saw the shrapnel impaled through his torso and his closed eyes. He caught a sob that was traveling up his throat – there would be time for grieving later. He touched Alexine, who responded with a moan. Something was wrong! Standing, he scooped up her frail form into his arms. The hood of the cloak fell back, and what he saw in the smoke shook his very foundation.

Alexine was different. Before when he saw her in the smoke, he never saw her face. Her hood covered her hair and features. But now, with it fallen back, he could clearly see what she looked like when she performed the death ritual.

Her hair was golden much like Pranis's was, but hers glowed. Her skin was white and translucent compared to the cream and pink tones that she normally had. Her eyes opened and looked into his, and the irises were extremely large and ice blue. The smoke started fading, and as it did her features transformed back into what he was used to seeing.

He heard screams and Mother came running, throwing herself on the ground next to Pranis. Alexine started coming back to full consciousness and asked him to put her down. She went to Mother, and after kneeling next to her, put her arms around her, whispering in her ear. Mother nodded her understanding and knelt next to Pranis, weeping.

Alexine turned around and observed the tears on the Doctor's face for his friend. Looking around at the area, she saw the remnants of the transformer and the mine, and the Elders and other people gathering around them in a large circle. Some members of The Brethren were in a circle, with a couple of Pranis's men holding them in place with weapons pointed at them. She shivered as the cold registered in her weak body.

"Is it finished?" She asked The Doctor.

He sadly nodded.

"Come here."

He took the couple of steps to her and stood there, unable to move, just gazing at her with his eyes full of pain. His hands remained at his sides, his shoulders slumped and his entire being seemed broken.

"Shhhh. It's my turn to take care of you." She wrapped the cloak around the both of them, and to the eyes of the people that were gathered there, they disappeared.

................................................................................................................................

**Chapter 21: Wardrobe Changes**

Alexine was standing laughing at the Doctor when suddenly a wave of dizziness overtook her. She wildly tried to grab something, anything, to keep from falling. Strong arms circled her and centered her. "Whoa. What happened?"

"I'm dizzy. Put me down please."

"I'm not carrying you."

She looked down at her feet, touching the floor, and looked up at the Doctor. "Not good" She said just prior to passing out.


	21. Wardrobe Changes

Broken Hearts Still Beat

Chapter 21: Wardrobe Changes

The Tardis welcomed them with her humming and gave them sanctuary with her quietness. Alexine led the Doctor into her sleeping chamber and pulled off the cold weather gear and piled it on the floor. She gently pushed him down to sit on the side of the bed, and kneeling at his feet, pulled off his boots. Stripping him down to his undershirt and trousers, she pulled back the blankets and settled him down, covering him and kissing his forehead.

He never rested fully after his regeneration, and with the shock of everything that had happened, he fell into a deep sleep in a matter of moments.

Alexine was exhausted herself. She wondered if she was actually getting sick from the perpetual cold of the planet below. Her joints hurt along with her head. She pulled the cloak off, surprised at the sight of Pranis's blood splattered over the front of it. Looking closer, she also saw a little tear from when it caught on the ground when the Doctor picked her up. She remembered hearing the sound of the rip, she just assumed it was something else that tore. She was curious because never before had the cloak ever sustained a stain or damage. Leaving the mystery for another day, she quickly washed the remaining blood away, and laid down with the Doctor to sleep.

The Doctor woke up, feeling warm for the first time in days. He felt Alexine snuggled up next to him, and smiled. His life was definitely better because she was in it. Unintentionally, his arm tightened just a bit around her, causing her to stir.

"Are you awake?" She muttered sleepily.

"Yes."

"Are you hungry?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Will you go make me something to eat?"

"You're a tease, Alexine. Go back to sleep."

Giggling, she snuggled closer to him. "Ice cream?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

She propped herself on her elbow, her hair in a glorious mess about her and pouted. "Did your message really say that you loved me?"

Softer this time, he said "yes."

"Then you would get me ice cream!" She exclaimed, fully awake now, tickling him in the ribs.

He caught her hands and rolling over, pinned her under him. "No ice cream."

She looked up at him with her restored brown eyes and he melted. "Ok. Chocolate?"

He rolled off and climbed out of the bed. After slipping into the bathing chamber for a moment, he walked through the room muttering about women and ice cream.

Alexine giggled again, and jumped up to join him in the galley after a quick stop of her own.

He was standing still at the counter, his hand on the cold storage, staring into space. His face looked infinitely sad. She went up to him and slipped her hands around his waist, laying her face on his chest.

"It hurts, Alexine."

"I know."

"I'm glad it was you. You know, that you sent him home."

"He was in a lot of pain, Doctor."

"I could tell by the injury that he would have been. Did he know it was you?"

"Yes. He told me to tell you –" here her voice broke with emotion. "He told me to tell you that you are his brother and that he loved you."

The Time Lord buried his face in her hair, his emotions spilling over. She held him, wracked with grief herself over the man that she had known for such a short time.

"He danced with me. Did you know that? At the ball, when you left to look for the transformer. He picked me up and swung me around like a sack of vegetables." One of her infamous giggles sneaked out. "He kept it up for several songs before Mother cut in and I was able to get away to rest. He made me laugh. He was such fun!"

"Was he scared?"

"Listen to me." She pulled his face down so that it was close to hers. "He was so brave! He asked me to give that message to you and one for his Mother, and he made me smile. There was no fear in him, and believe me, I would know."

The Doctor nodded his head in understanding and sat down.

Alexine reached towards the cold storage. "Chocolate?" She asked.

"Strawberry."

After their snack, they both snuggled down again. Before drifting back to sleep, the Doctor asked more questions.

"Where did the cloak come from?"

"I was sitting in front of the console staring at the message that you sent. I wanted so badly to get back to you! I had tried so hard and I had exhausted myself. I think I passed out for a little bit, until the beeping from the message woke me up. So I was sitting there, thinking again that I needed to get to you and it appeared. What was different this time, though is that I SAW it appear. Always before, I would turn my head or open my eyes and it would be there. This time I saw it appear on the console."

"Why do you think it came back?"

"I don't know – maybe so I can help Pranis? Maybe so I can get back to you? Although, I didn't help you."

"Alexine, I would like to point out to you that I had no way to return to the Tardis. If it had not been for you, I would still be on the planet. Which brings up another point. You brought me with you this time. How?"

"I wrapped the cloak around us both. I don't know why I did that, I just did. And it worked."

"Did it feel any different?"

"Yes. It felt heavier, like I was carrying a heavy weight." She paused, yawning. "Doctor?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can we sleep now?"

"Yes." He pulled her to him and she wrapped her leg around his and they slept.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

The morning brought with it a task that the Doctor was used to. With the new body came a new look. Because of the size, he didn't have that much to choose from, but he did the best he could with what he had. Shooing Alexine out of the closet, he went to work. Shirts were selected and rejected. Jeans were tried, leather pants, wool leggings, heavy silk kilts. The shirts were more bountiful and in an array of colors. After spending the entire morning and part of the afternoon in the closet, he exited, his new persona in place.

Alexine was sitting on the steps waiting for him. When she heard him, she jumped up and turned around. The only word she could mutter was "Oh…."

He was gorgeous. He was so handsome before, with his brown hair and his mischievous grin. But now….words escaped her.

He wore a black leather jacket with pockets and straps all over the place. The sleeves were pushed up a bit, exposing the lower part of his arm and wrist. He wore a white shirt that was loose, made out of a linen that was tucked into his trousers of black denim. Boots were on his feet, their laces tied around the ankle twice before being knotted in front. His hair was gathered at the back of his neck with a leather tie, and hung down his back to his shoulder blades.

He was one fantastic looking man.

He held his arms out, turning around in a circle. "So what do you think? I was going to cut the hair but I think I'll leave it like this for a bit."

She just stared at him.

"Alexine!" He snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Oi! Hello!" She stood there still. Feeling that he had achieved the desired effect, he pushed past her on the stairs. "Oh, yeah. I've still got it."

……………………………………………………………………………………………

The Doctor parked the Tardis the next day next to the hall that was the site of the battle the previous day. There was quite a bit of activity happening with people rushing about and temporary shelters being built. There was a small crew at the site of the mine, fastening a giant plate made from the coverings of the exploded transformer over the opening.

"Doctor!" Mother's voice greeted. She approached them, and kissed them both on their cheeks. She wore a red turban which Alexine had not seen before. Noticing her glance, Mother reached her hand up and touched it. "Our sign of mourning. Red is the color of blood, meaning an immediate relative died. For a friend, it would be white for purity. We wear it through the burning day to announce the death."

"Burning day?"

The Doctor leaned down and said softly to her "the Parakembles cremate their dead. The winter months prohibit burial because of the frozen ground."

"Mother," the Doctor began. "Is there an envoy for Pranis named yet?"

"No, Doctor. I've been waiting for you." Her sad smiled gave proof of her acceptance of the friendship between the two men.

He bowed to her. "I would be honored."

Mother bowed her head in return, and walked into the hall.

Speaking to Alexine, he said "The envoy is the person outside of the immediate family who is the closest to the deceased. He needs to be able to speak of his character, his mind, his heart and his soul. It's a very important part of the life celebration."

The Doctor left Alexine in the hall with Mother. He went to talk with the members of the Brethren that were left behind to find out what their wishes were regarding their futures. She approached Mother, who was folding cloths at a table.

"Do you have a white covering that I can borrow Mother?" She asked.

Mother pulled one out of the pile, and wrapped it around Alexine's head. The weight of it felt foreign to her. Mother put her hands on Alexine's shoulder and looked carefully into her face. "Child, are you feeling well?"

"A bit tired, but yes, I'm well."

"You look"….Mother hesitated…."Less."

"Pardon me?"

"Like there's less of your essence. I'm sure it's nothing, please forgive me. My eyes are blurry from crying."

Mother's words hit home to Alexine. She _felt _less. She was tired, but not fatigue that could be conquered with rest. She shook her head to dismiss the thoughts.

"When will the life celebration begin, Mother?"

"At sun down. A life begins at sun up, it ends at sun down."

Alexine helped with the preparations for Pranis's life celebration. The people of Parakemble mourned and honored their dead, but recognized the importance of continuing despite their losses. And they had a lot they had to continue with.

Some scouting parties to the mountain brought back reports and maps of the damage with some areas being excavated for historical objects. The palace itself was rubble, but a passage was found that allowed the scouts into the government chambers, rescuing their law books and ceremonial artifacts.

The people of Parakemble were miraculously all accounted for. There were some lives lost in the collapse of the tunnel, and several lost during the battle. But the lives saved were just as miraculous.

When Pranis's message was sent, even though it was only an hour until the explosion, the people did not waste time and immediately fled with their loved ones. The carts that were left in the tunnel turned out to be a blessing as their items were removed and brought around the long way to the farms.

There was already a basic power structure to the farms and numerous homesteads dotted the landscape. For now, the townspeople were camped in with the farmers and within the hall, but lodgings were quickly being planned and should all be in proper housing before the next winter froze the land once again.

The food was always stored on the farms, so there was no shortage of grains or vegetables. The meat was procured in the forests bordering the farms, so there was but a minor inconvenience there. The pots and pans in the palace were lost as were the giant ovens. The tradesmen were already at work replacing these items.

The Doctor walked through the new town, pleased that they were poised to bounce back so quickly. His conversation with the members of the Brethren revealed that they wanted to go home. Although the planet was a wasteland, there was still a civilization that lived on it, though they counted heavily on the imports brought in to sustain life. He promised to send a message to the Shadow Proclamation requesting transport. In the mean time, in the role that he originally agreed to, he brokered a treaty between the Parakembles and the remaining Brethren for safe passage and guest status until the transport arrived.

The Life Celebration for Lead Elder Pranis began that evening at sunset. The survivors all gathered in the hall and began their ceremony. Alexine was moved to tears many times during the proceeding, but no more than when his Mother spoke of his childhood and his quest to become Lead Elder.

The Doctor's turn was a little more light hearted. He told stories of their travels, including how he first met Pranis and finally – (!) the story of the Princess of the Water Nebula. The story talked about the bravery of a very young Pranis and how he had saved a lot of people from death.

At the end, they lit the funeral pyre, and somberly stood around it and watched it burn. Alexine held the Doctor's hand, his white turban glowing by the firelight and the tears on his face glistening. When they were done, the Doctor had some private words with Mother, spoken softly with his arms around the woman who was in so much pain.

Mother came to her and kissed her forehead goodbye before unwrapping the white turban from her head.

"Grieving is done. You may still miss him and you may still shed tears because you miss him. But he has been honored and he has gone on, and so must we." After unwrapping the Doctor's turban, she gave them blessings and told them to come visit her, that they were always welcome.

"Oh, and Alexine – this is for you. I promised." And with that, she indicated a large sack of the brown puffy grains that she so enjoyed at their luncheon that they shared just two days ago. Mother winked. "Don't worry – we have plenty of sacks."

Alexine and the Doctor entered the Tardis, he carrying the sack of grain and placing it just inside the door. At the control panel, he snapped his fingers and the doors closed. And they left the planet of Parakemble for space.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Alexine was tidying up the Tardis, putting clean things up in the galley and picking cold weather clothing up off the floor in her bedroom. She came across the bloodied, torn cloak and brought it in to the Doctor in the control room.

"What do you think of this? It's never got a speck of dirt on it before, but now it's filthy!"

"I think it means that something's changed."

"Can we jettison it out into space?"

"You don't mean that."

"No…it will just come back anyway."

She brought it in and ran it through the cycle to clean it, but when it came out the blood was still present. Strange, she though, as she folded it and put it away in a drawer.

"So…do you want to try Earth again?"

"And hand packed ice cream?" Her eyes lit up.

"Yeah. I still like the idea. Is that a yes?"

"Yes!" Her answer was enthusiastic.

Laughing again, the Doctor said "Earth it is!" And started madly twisting dials and pushing levers.

Alexine was standing next to the Doctor, laughing at him when suddenly a wave of dizziness overtook her. She wildly tried to grab something, anything, to keep from falling. Strong arms circled her and centered her. "Whoa. What happened?"

"I'm dizzy. Put me down please."

"I'm not carrying you."

She looked down at her feet, touching the floor, and looked up at the Doctor. "Not good" She said just prior to passing out.

....................................................................

A/N – Instead of posting a preview of the next chapter, I've decided to just post the chapter and complete the story.


	22. Back to Sandgel

Broken Hearts Still Beat

A/N: This has been a fantastic journey for me! When you read a story, you're reading someone else's fantasy. I've realized that when you write one, you're living your own fantasy. Thank you for coming along with me on mine. I was glad for the company!

**Chapter 22: Back to Sandgel**

The Doctor looked at the screen on the analyzer and frowned. He couldn't find any logical reason why Alexine was so weak. If she tried to stand up she became dizzy and fell down, yet sitting in bed she was energetic and impatient of her convalescence. If it wasn't for childish promises of chocolate ice cream, he didn't think he could keep her in bed at all!

He went in to her chamber, sitting on the bed. She had been reading but had put the book down when he came in. He motioned to the book. "What is your nose buried in now?"

"Geography."

"Really? Maps and stuff?"

"Not particularly. You had a book on Sandgel. Did you know that?"

"I knew I read about it somewhere, because I had it on my official list to come visit."

"I'm so glad that you did."

"Well, it wasn't a conscious choice." His voice became soft as he got that look on his face that told her his mind was someplace else. "The Tardis brought me there. I never asked why."

"Do you talk to you ship often?" She teased.

"Not as such, no. But there's a reason for everything, don't you think?"

"Then why did the Tardis bring you there?"

"To meet you!" He tweaked her nose when he said it, causing one of her giggles to escape. Then, more seriously, "I guess she figured I had been on my own too long. I used to always have someone traveling with me, but I got out of that habit."

"And now you have me."

"And now I have you, yes. But you need to rest. Give me the book."

She gave him the book and scooted down. She was tired, she had to admit. "Will you come in later?"

"Yes, when I dock for the night, I'll be in."

He took the book and settled down in the control room. Flipping through it, his memory stirred at the vaguely familiar pages. Brightly colored tiles. Fantastic sunsets and sunrises. Legends and rumors. That seemed like a good chapter.

"Sandgel legends states that a visitor to the planet will find that the first wish that he ever makes on the planet will come true. It's been said that……."

The paragraph went on, but the Doctor was already diving into his memory. He had wished that he had someone to share the sunrise with. And the first night he met Alexine, he told her about wishing on shooting stars. Interesting coincidence.

Later chapters went on to talk about the healing properties of the desert breezes. People who lived on Sandgel all of their lives that traveled off planet sometimes had an acclimation period while they adjusted to the lack of the night breeze. A trip back home was recommended when they got run down.

I have to take her back to Sandgel, he realized. Even if it's just for a visit. Turning towards the controls, he once again steered away from Earth.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

The Doctor entered Alexine's chamber armed with ice cream and his nose in the book on Sandgel. Sitting on the edge of her bed, he wordlessly handed her the bowl without taking his eyes off the pages.

"You're wonderful, you know that?" She said in between moans. "I love you."

He looked up at her over the book then, his glasses perched on his nose and gave her a huge grin that reminded her of his prior incarnation. "Quite right, too!"

"Alexine, this book of Sandgel has interesting facts. Did you read the part about the night breezes?" After she shook her head to indicate no, he continued. "They seem to have healing properties. And it says that people who lived on the planet all their lives often have to go back for a while to recharge. I think that's what's happening to you, and I've redirected the Tardis to pop in for a visit. We'll go to Earth afterwards."

She looked up at him with huge eyes that were filled with concern. "I don't think I want to go back there."

"Just for a visit, hmmm? Can you show me on this atlas where your cottage is located?"

She studied the atlas for awhile, adjusting to the single dimensional drawing and finding known landmarks to pinpoint where the cottage was. She put her finger on it.

"If you land right here, it's pretty smooth." She hesitated for a moment. "I have a bad feeling about this. I don't want to go back."

He took the now empty bowl from her, and with the book, piled them on the chair next to the bed. He pulled himself up fully on the bed and reached for her, wrapping his arms around her. They sat like that, resting against the headboard, each in their own thoughts until a beeping from the control room alerted the Doctor.

"We're approaching Sandgel. Do you want to come watch?"

She nodded, and he lifted her off the bed and started walking. "These manly arms come in handy" he teased. "Just right for carrying off women folk."

He received the sought after giggle, and settled her down into the chair in the control room. He opened the panel covering the window for her, and she watched the now familiar sight of a planet rushing up to greet them.

They arrived just in time for the magnificent sunset to greet them. He stood in the doorway of the Tardis, Alexine in his arms, and the silent lovers let the beauty of the display fill their hearts.

Afterwards he walked into the cottage, and put her down in the chair, looking around. "Cozy!" He proclaimed cheerfully.

Alexine was also looking around. "Everything seems to be OK."

"We've only been gone 25 days.."

Alexine was stunned. 25 days and her life had changed so much! She felt dizzy with the realization and bent slightly, propping her elbows on her knees and putting her face in her hands.

"Hey, it's ok." He knelt down in front of her, removing her hands and looking at her. "We won't stay long. Just until you recharge. The book says that people move off world all the time, they just need to adjust sometimes."

"I'm too tired I think and it's making me emotional."

Once again, he picked her up and headed towards the only other door in the room, correctly predicting that it was her bedchamber. Carefully he sat her down in the chair by the mirror. "Can I get you anything?"

"Tea. Hey – this is one thing that my cottage is more efficient at than the Tardis!" She told him how to get the hot water and where the tealeaves and cups were. When he left the room to prepare it, she slipped out of her tunic and reached over to grab her nightclothes from their drawer. The act of changing exhausted her further. "This is getting worse and fast," she thought to herself.

He brought in the tea and they silently helped themselves, the room growing darker with shadows as the night breezes started gently billowing the curtains covering the windows.

"It is beautiful here at times," He said.

"And lonely."

"I'm here now. You're not alone."

She gratefully smiled at him for that. She handed him her hardly touched cup and lay down fully onto the bed. "I need a nap I think."

"I'm going to check out your library if that's ok."

Her eyes were already closed. He stood, looking down at her. She seemed different. When he first met her, she was vivacious and full of life. He remembered her screams of pain when she first told him of her life and the energy that she displayed in the emotional telling of the child's death. He couldn't imagine her now having the energy to walk across the room, much less pace and scream. She seemed – less somehow. As if part of her was divided and removed.

She seemed extremely delicate and frail and he wanted her back. He wanted Alexine back with her magnificent compassion and her courage and her determination. He wanted back the woman who became an instant chocolate ice cream addict and who tasted snow and who gulped wick nectar. He wanted the princess from the ball who looked at him as if he was the most important person in the world. And he wanted the woman who held him in the tunnel while he regenerated even though she was terrified and didn't know what was happening – she refused to let him go.

He turned and headed into the next room, hoping that the night breezes would do their jobs.

……………………………………………………………………………………….

A soft glow was shining through her eyelids, silently calling her to wake. She hardly had the energy to open her eyes, but she did when she heard her voice being softly sung.

"Hello, Alexine. It's time to wake up. You have a journey to take." The voice sounded as if several were sweetly singing in a chorus. The vision had golden hair similar to that of Pranis's. She glowed with a golden light and had the most incredible ice blue eyes that were almost too large for her translucent face. She wore a white cloak, the hood up over the back of her head. Her face was serene and Alexine felt safe in her presence.

"Who are you?" She asked the vision.

"I've been sent for you. We have all been watching and begged to be allowed to come fetch you. I have been honored with the task." She bowed her head slightly.

"I don't understand. Who are you?"

"I am your sister, Alexine. You chose to come here a long time ago and left us. We were watching for the signs that you told us to watch for. You started questioning your purpose and that was when we were supposed to fetch you."

"No." The panic rose quickly in her chest. "I don't want to go anywhere. I want to stay with my Doctor."

"Your memories are being restored to you. Then you will understand." At that, she gently pressed her hand against Alexine's forehead.

As the hand on her forehead heated up, Alexine's felt a maelstrom enter her brain. Scenes flashed, voices spoke and emotions swelled up in her.

One scene in particular stood out. She was looking at the mirror surface of a pool of liquid contained in a golden bowl and saw the Doctor, sitting in his control room staring off into space with the sadness of a hundred lives showing on his face. She remembered making the decision to intervene and arguing with her sisters over who should do it. She remembered how important it was to her that SHE be allowed to come to him, and now, with a gasp, she remembered why. What was at stake.

She sat up and threw her arms around her sister. "Charity, I've missed you!"

"You didn't even know I existed, little sister." Charity teased.

"But I remember now and I've missed you! And I've missed Heron and – oh! Pranis! He's been here!"

"Our brother wanted to make sure that things went well for the Doctor, so he came to make sure that you met. It was his idea. Sybil came too."

"The Doctor." Her eyes filled with tears as she met her sister's solemn gaze. "I can't leave him now."

"You have to."

"No! This isn't what we planned! You don't understand what happened – we didn't plan this part. Charity, take it back. Take the memories back. I have to stay." She kept her voice soft, but the panic was evident. "We love each other."

"Your body is dieing." Charity stated sadly. "And you've always loved him."

"Please don't make me leave" her voice was small. She felt powerless over what was about to happen, and she had never felt that emotion before. "Charity, fix it. Please."

She shook her head, her beautiful eyes filling. "You have time to say goodbye. He's in the next room asleep."

Charity put her arms around Alexine and held her as she cried once again human tears. "I thought love was supposed to be euphoric, but it hurts, sister."

"I know." Charity bent her head over Alexine, her empathy for her sister. "It will stop hurting soon."

With a heavy heart, Alexine pulled out of her sister's embrace and padded over to the door. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Charity standing next to her bed. Her beauty was breathtaking. Charity nodded, and turned around to gaze out the window. For the first time in a thousand years, Alexine saw the wings that their natural forms had. And she realized that there was no choice. She had to go back.

As she approached the Doctor, she saw him sprawled in the chair, the book teetering precariously on the edge of his lap. His head was back and in sleep his body was relaxed. She sat on the table in front of the chair facing him and gently took the book out of his hands.

He woke with a small start at the movement and sat up, smiling at the sight of her sitting there, apparently restored.

"Alexine! It worked! You're feeling better?"

"Yes. I'm fine now, thanks."

He pulled her off the table and set her on his lap, circling his arms around her. "You're not cold in just your nightclothes?"

She laid her head on his chest, listening for the final time to his hearts beating within. "Doctor, we're in the desert, not Parakemble."

"Right. When do you want to leave? I went back to the Tardis and put Earth's coordinates in, so all we have to do it show up and I press one button and we'll be on our way!"

Alexine remained silent.

"Alexine? How long do you want to stay on Sandgel?"

"I won't be staying on Sandgel anymore" her very small voice answered.

"No. We're going to Earth first." At her lack of response, he asked "what's wrong?"

"I can't go with you."

"Of course you can go with me!" He immediately denied her statement.

She pushed off his lap, immediately feeling bereft at the loss of his embrace. "I have to tell you a story. And I think you'll understand."

He stared at her for a moment, then said with dread in his voice "things are about to change, aren't they?"

She nodded sadly, and he closed his eyes tightly as if in physical pain. "Go on," he said, his eyes still closed. Alexine thought he was holding his breath.

"I'm not alive, Doctor. Not like you are. You have a life that had a beginning and an ending. I don't have such parameters. I've always been."

His eyes snapped open at this.

"My sisters and brothers and I watch and sometimes if it's needed, we help. You understand time and space and how it could be traveled." At his nod, she continued. "We watch all of it. Even for you, who can travel billions of years into the future, cannot comprehend the enormity of it. There are very few actions that cannot, over time, be absorbed into the total and negated. But once in every millennium, that is not true. There are a few times when someone needed to be made to perform a deed or a life needs to continue…." Her voice trailed off for a moment.

"It was you," she continued. "You stopped loving. You stopped allowing yourself to be loved. And you're so important…you are so critical to everything, and you were broken."

Watching Alexine, the Doctor saw a glow beginning on her skin, slowly building.

"The most important thing in all of existence right now is your ability to love."

"My ability?" He asked, his voice hoarse. "One person can't " – his voice trailed off as he remembered conversations from his past when he himself told others how important they were.

"You shut down. After Rose. You were so broken by the loss and you shut down. You, who always knew that the most important thing of all is love, you stopped believing. You needed to be helped so you would believe again."

"So I was a mission for you? Go help the Doctor get out of his funk so he can save some more planets?" Anger rose in him, bitterness creeping into his words. "I didn't need your help!" He yelled, jumping to his feet.

Alexine faced him and continued changing. Her eyes changed from brown to ice blue. Her skin lost its color and became white and translucent. Her hair glowed with gold and she glowed. "Yes you did." She answered.

"I'm leaving!" He said, turning towards the door. A movement of Alexine's hand slammed it shut before he could arrive. He stood there in front of it, seething with anger.

"Don't play games with me, Alexine."

"No. No games. Just the truth." Her voices said in chorus. "Why are you so angry?"

He turned and faced her again, and saw that in the moment that he was turned away, her transformation completed. She had wings. He sat down hard, the strength suddenly leaving his legs. "What are you?"

"The woman who loves you."

"You're no woman."

"But I do love you."

"I was just a mission," he spat.

"Doctor, please listen." At his silence, she continued. "When I came down, I had my memories removed. At no time during my existence here did I ever contrive any of this. We knew you would be here in the marketplace when Aviaz died. My entire existence was based on the fact that we would both be in the same place at the same time. Nothing else was manipulated."

"We met and we fell in love. It's what I had hoped for when I first decided to do this, but it was never certain that it would. To be honest, I was already in love with you from watching you for so long. It's why I insisted it had to be me that came, and not one of my sisters."

"Is there anything else that you want to say?" He asked, his voice void of emotion.

"Pranis is my brother."

The look of betrayal in his eyes bespoke of the new layer of pain that proclamation gave him. "You couldn't even give me that. I'm done here."

"Please don't leave like this."

The Doctor's anger erupted in a scream. "Why, Alexine? You don't want to fail in your mission? Tell your Gods, or whoever is pulling these strings, that I'm not a puppet. I CHOOSE my life. Tell your God to get out of it."

"Are you mad at him for putting me here or for taking me away?" She asked gently, the never-ending tears trailing down her face.

He stared at her then, all anger immediately drained from him. His throat worked the lump that rose and his eyes rapidly filled with moisture. Facing her at that moment, he realized that she was right. He was angry because she was leaving him. His anger immediately reverted back to pain. Knees weakening, heart breaking pain.

"I love you. I need you to be with me." His voice was a desperate whisper.

"I know. I love you too."

"But you can't stay."

She shook her head, unable to speak the answer.

"Not even for me?" He tried grinning his old little boy grin, but the effect in his new body didn't pull it off.

"Not even for you or I, no. I'm dieing. This body has been kept alive by the desert properties that we had designed. But like you said yourself, everything dies."

"So taking you off the planet killed you?"

"I wouldn't have missed it for anything."

He looked at her, the truth pushing the remnants of his anger and denial out. "So now what?"

"We learn how to go on without each other."

"You taught me how to love again just so you can crush my hearts and destroy me again?"

"No. I showed you that you are capable of loving again and that you can go on when you lose someone. The pain of losing Rose stayed with you for so long because you loved her so deeply. But you responded with a resolution to never love again, as if the emotion would be a betrayal to the love you felt for Rose. Remember what Mother said?"

The Doctor replied, "She said: 'Grieving is done. You may still miss him and you may still shed tears because you miss him. But he has been honored and he has gone on, and so must we.'"

"Mother is very wise." Alexine said.

A movement in the doorway caught his attention, and he saw Charity standing there. "Is she one of yours?" He asked.

"This is Charity, my sister. She's come for me. This body needs the death ritual performed on it so I can go home."

"I'll never see you again."

"No."

"Alexine, please." His tears were now unchecked down his face. "Tell me this isn't happening. I don't know that I can do this again."

"My Doctor" she said, approaching him for the final time. "It happened. We met and we loved and now we're parting. But the love happened. It's part of me for eternity, and will be part of you for all of your days. I have a request."

"What is it?" He asked, his hearts breaking.

"Find someone to love. It doesn't have to be a romance. It can be a friend, or a son, or a parent. Keep together. You get into too much mischief on your own."

"But when they leave it hurts."

"Doctor," she said softly, "My love – it hurts more to not have it in your life. This is my request, my wish. Will you honor it?"

He nodded, his throat too tight for any more words.

She reached up on tip toe then, and pulled his face down to hers and kissed him on his lips, then on his forehead. She whispered one last time "I love you."

She walked over to Charity then, and facing each other, Charity put her hand on Alexine's chest and whispered the words that she herself had said thousands of times.

"Alexine, he loves you. He's waiting for you to come home. It's time to go."

Alexine's body collapsed and the two entities were gone. The Doctor stood there in his aloneness, tears soaking his shirt. He looked up and whispered "Goodbye love."

He didn't know how it was possible for his hearts to be so broken, yet still beat.

................................................................................

A/N epilogue to follow.


	23. Sissy

Broken Hearts Still Beat

Chapter 23: Sissy

He stayed in Alexine's cottage for several days, coming to terms with all she had said to him. For awhile he teetered between furious anger and despondent pain, but was able to find a workable emotion within him that would honor her final request.

Rejecting bitterness was the most difficult thing he had ever wrestled with. Every time he felt it rise up, he would bring the vision of her request to mind. Find someone to love, she said. He wanted to honor her request, and felt that he needed to start by doing the opposite that he was tempted to do, which was to hide away and be alone for awhile. Instead, he would seek out others and deny the loneliness.

His mind made up, the Doctor left Alexine's cottage and entered the Tardis. He looked at the controls still pointed towards earth and canceled them. He thought he would go back to Parakemble and help Mother with the reconstruction for a while. Staying busy would help.

Remembering the beauty of the original palace, he thought he would bring a gift of remembrance in honor of Pranis. He had the sack of grain that Mother had given Alexine that he could trade, and thought he would bring some tile from Sandgel for the new palace.

His heart heavy, he adjusted the controls to go back to the courtyard near the market. The sun had been up for awhile, and the market should be open.

Arriving, he hoisted the sack up and traveled the familiar path to the market. He saw the color birds pecking in their pen and the same weather worn tables and booths set up, displaying their wares. Working his way through the crowd, he found the area belonging to Sissy's family. A young woman was at the table chatting with the old woman in the next booth.

"Excuse me" he began. "I'm looking for Sissy."

"You found her." The young lady said.

"No, no…The Sissy I'm looking for is 8 years – no….96 or 97 moons old? Maybe she's in school?"

"School is not in session right now. Who are you?"

"An old friend. I'm the Doctor."

"You're not the Doctor. I've met him, and it's not you."

"And you are….?" He asked.

"I'm Sissy."

"No, no. I told you, she's a little girl."

"I'm the only Sissy here, sir." She pulled herself up to her full height, as if to challenge him to deny her again.

"I'm looking for the daughter of Aviaz."

Sissy's hands flew up to her mouth. "Aviaz was my father."

It dawned on the Doctor, then, that the Tardis had hiccupped. By the looks of Sissy's age, it had hiccupped by about 10 years.

"Sissy, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. I AM the Doctor. I know I look different, but it's me. Look, I still have it." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the red feather that she had given him. "You gave this to me the day of your father's funeral, along with a red egg from your color bird. I gave you something in return."

"And I still have it." She reached into HER pocket and pulled out the handkerchief, now a little yellow and ragged with age.

He dropped the sack, and Sissy leapt over the table to launch herself into his arms.

"You came back! I knew you would come back one day!"

"Yes, Sissy. I'm back. But just for a visit. I need to trade for some tile. Let me look at you!" He pushed her back and looked her up and down.

"I'd say you grew up very nicely, Sissy!" He wiggled his eyebrows at her and said, "You're gorgeous!"

"Now, THAT's the Doctor I know!" She laughed. "I'll help you – how much tile do you need?"

Sissy loaded the tile onto a cart and had one of the men bring it to the Tardis. The man worked for the entire time with his mouth hanging open in shock as he made trips in and out from the large spaceship and back into the tiny blue box.

Sissy, on the other hand, was all over the control room, asking him what the levers did and what kind of music did he have on the speakers. She was fascinated with it.

When their tasks were completed, and the workman sent on his way, he invited Sissy to lunch in the Tardis's galley before leaving.

He listened to her chatter about life on Sandgel. The conversation turned serious when he asked about her mother.

"Mum died about 30 moons ago. She was never the same after Dad died, and I think she just didn't want to go on. For the most part I was grown enough to be on my own, but between me and you, it's been hard."

"You have other family, right?"

Sissy shook her head. "No, I'm alone. Oh, I have friends. And my father's old friends let me sell some of their tile for them, so I have a job. But it's not the same." She had a wistful look on her face. "I mean, it's like I know there's something more out there for me, but I don't know how to get it. It's like I'm waiting for something."

The Doctor sat back, staring at Sissy. He started chuckling, then broke into a laugh that had Sissy looking at him as if he were mad. He looked up and said, "Ok, Alexine. Quit pushing." Turning to Sissy, he said: "I have something you may be interested in."

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Some time later, the Doctor was at the control panel, setting up the coordinates to return to Parakemble. He was waiting for Sissy, who ran back home to pack and let her father's friends know that she would be leaving.

He walked into the bedchamber closest to the control room and looked around, checking the drawers to make sure they were ready for Sissy. All of Alexine's things had already been put into storage except for the white cloak. Taking it out of the drawer, he examined it. The blood was still there, aged now to a dark brown. There was a small tear that he remembered her mentioning.

He carefully folded it, and went to his storage, pulling out the chest marked "A". He placed the cloak in the chest, lingering his hand on it before putting it back. A noise at the Tardis's door alerted him to Sissy's returns.

She had several packs with her, a box and a bird cage with a bright red chicken in it.

"Sissy, we can't have an animal on board."

"Why not?"

"Well, sometimes we – uh, I'll occasionally –"

"Doctor, it's just a bird. I'll keep her in my room. Besides, we maybe can trade her eggs."

"Right. Things change. We now have a pet." The wry grin on his face showed his determination to make a new path, beginning with this young girl and her red chicken.

"Your sleeping quarters are this way. Bring your chicken."

Shortly later, the engines of the Tardis sprung to life and the ship left Sandgel again.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Down the hall, in storage, inside the chest marked with an "A", the cloak glowed. The blood disappeared and the tear mended. And the cloak vanished.

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A Prequel that tells the story about the Doctor's first meeting with Pranis and the Princess of the Water Nebula is complete! Check out my profile for the link here on fan fiction. As always, thank you for very much....and please leave a review!


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